Tag: business

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Surrounding Central Park

I thought it would be interesting to show all the businesses and institutions that face the four sides of Atenas Central Park. So today I walked around all these trees facing out and photographing each establishment, starting with the church and going counter-clockwise. South side, east side, north side and then west side.

The city recently thinned out the trees & painted bases & benches.
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

SOUTH SIDE OF PARK

Catholic ChurchSouth Side of Park, Facing North, (which doesn’t match stories about
Costa Rica churches facing west so worshippers face east to Jerusalem)
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica
EAST SIDE OF PARK 

La Cafeteria – The Coffee Shop
Plus 3 other shops in corner building across from church
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Tribunales de Justicia, Court House
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Photography Shop 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Discount Groceries  (Chinese store)
This is in location of what was the largest Bar/Restaurant in Centro
But a lack of business and illegal activities closed them down.
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

A Dress Shop 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

A busy Bakery on left + 3 little shops
Bakery is only place to get coffee at 5 AM + Bus Stop is there!
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

And the next corner is an expensive Young Adult Clothing Shop
 Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica


NORTH SIDE OF PARK

POP’S Ice Cream & Bar Punga 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Unknown Office Building & Shoe Repair Shop 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Mattress & Bedding Shop 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

A Lunch Only Soda 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Florist Downstairs & Apartment Upstairs 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Banco Nacional – My Bank
The other 2 banks are about a block away and notice
the long line at the ATM at left, typical everywhere here.

Pizzeria Olivera – The most popular Pizza for Ticos. 
Most expats prefer the thin crust pizza at La Finca a block away.
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica
WEST SIDE OF PARK

City Hall 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

I think it is an addition to the City Hall – Brand New!
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Women & Children’s Clothing + Fabrics & Patterns to Make Your Own 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

University Extension Classes Here 
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

Clothing Store & Pharmacy
The center of town at Calle 0 and Avenida 0
Atenas Central Park, Costa Rica

One block down that street above to the right is the other big commercial area with the Central Market, Bus Station, 3 furniture stores, hardware store, 3 super markets, many clothing shops, gift shops, office supply, and our best discount store El Rayo, like a big dollar store in the states with cheap Chinese stuff. There is actually more shopping going on there than around Central Park. Maybe a post on that someday.

You can get most things you really need here, just not always American brands. The rich Americans who can’t adapt to other cultures drive their big cars to Alajuela and San Jose where there are shopping havens like being in the states. The Escazu suburb of San Jose is the “little USA” for shopping and dining. I don’t like that but do get a few things I really like at Alajuela Pricesmart or Walmart and very rarely at the big City Mall in Alajuela. All by bus and taxi.

I just ran across one of our local Realtor’s “Top Ten Reasons Expats Retire in Atenas” that I thought you guys thinking about retiring here might be interested in. Of course this guy is trying to sell you property, so read it through that filter! And he particularly markets to wealthy Americans.
And if you haven’t seen the latest Atenas PR video, it is not commercial:   Atenas
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Add-On Business: Phone Minutes

  All you need is one to three little signs telling the public you sell their phone minutes:

Phone company only, with widest call coverage
My cellphone is with kolbi
Atenas, Costa Rica
Cellphone AND  Dish Television
Atenas, Costa Rica

Cellphone AND  Dish Television
Atenas, Costa Rica

Most people in Costa Rica have a cellphone and no landline and most simply add minutes every month or whenever they think they are low. It is theoretically cheaper if you don’t talk too much or download too much data. I was required to do that as a newcomer. Later I switched to a monthly plan with an automatic debit of my bill to my local bank account. The easy or lazy way! And I use a different company for my cable TV and Internet WiFi in my house. They also debit my local bank with the monthly bill which again is a real convenience for me!

But if you have a phone with minutes added as needed you can get them at the grocery store or just about any other shop, even a home business. So easy to get a dollar’s worth of minutes just about anywhere! The two phone companies that also sell dish TV sell the TV plans separate from the phone minutes.

See my photo gallery of Home Business Signs in Atenas
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Home Business Signs: Cakes

Cakes for Sale at a house up the road from me towards town
Atenas, Costa Rica

Note the interesting mix of Spanish and English on this sign, showing a local custom. Of course the first part, Se Vende: Queques is pure Spanish saying “For Sale: Cakes” but then she adds the English name of Cup Cakes! I cannot speak for all of Latin America, but for Atenas, Costa Rica, they often prefer the shorter, catchier English names for items than what sometimes becomes a long and complicated Spanish name. Thus cupcakes, jeans, shorts, cellphone, and a bunch of other names I can’t remember right now. And of course “proper names” are not suppose to be translated, meaning Coca Cola, McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway, Kleenex stay the same here, just like my name Charlie! No one tries to make me Carlos or Carlito. And to show you why, the dictionary says that in Spanish “cup cakes” (two words) is tortas de la taza or “cupcakes” (one word) las magdalenas. I have never heard anyone here use either for cupcakes here. And on the culture goes! ¡Pura vida!

See my new photo gallery: Home Business Signs


Interesting video of Toucans somewhere in Costa Rica.

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Home Business Signs: Corner Grocery

El Pingüino is a landmark on my side of town.
It is a very small corner grocery store called pulpería or mini-super
It looks like a store in front but it is also their home, living in the back.
Atenas, Costa Rica

How cool is it to have a little corner store called “The Penguin” in a tropical climate country where no native has ever seen a penguin? And it is the front part of their house! Or attached to their house. Plus it is 2 blocks from one public high school/middle school and 1.5 blocks from one public elementary school. Needless to say they have more student customers than anyone, selling lots of cold drinks an snack food! But they are better stocked for real food than another similar home store closer to me, though I still prefer the supermercado! There are many of these little corner stores all over town and probably many are in homes. No strict zoning codes or laws here!  🙂  Atenas is a really cool place to live!

El Pingüino
Store entrance on corner. White addition on right is a rental apartment.
The owner’s home is also attached to the left, seen in next photo.
Also notice a mother walking daughter home from primary school.
Atenas, Costa Rica

El Pingüino
Owner’s home is light green, attached to left behind white metal fence.
These boys are at a school with a “no uniform day” today. Rare!
Or out of school, especially the boy in shorts! No shorts in school!
Atenas, Costa Rica

See my new photo gallery: Home Business Signs

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Home Business Sign: Seamstress

Clinica de Ropa
In Boqueron, 3 blocks from Roca Verde
Atenas, Costa Rica


“Clinica de Ropa” (Clinic for Clothing) is the common name for a seamstress (la costurera) who probably does more repair work on clothing than making new clothing, although she does both. This particular seamstress is the closest one to my house and I have used her twice. The first time she put a patch over a little hole in one of my several canvas shorts I wear every day. She did a good job with fabric on both the outside and inside and it does not show or is not noticeable.

Recently I was motivated to do something with my front right pockets where I keep my cellphone and believe it slid out of the pocket in a San Jose Taxi. I asked her if she could sew velcro on both sides of the top of the right pockets. She said she could do that but, a zipper would be better and safer. So for one mil, the equivalent of about USD $1.75 each, she sewed a zipper in each of my 6 pairs of shorts, the only pants I wear here. That included the zipper! I think it would cost a bit more in the states! 🙂  I think the patch was about the same price, though don’t remember for sure. Labor and services are cheaper here! Imported U.S. products are not. It was most likely a Chinese zipper which would be cheaper here than say one from even Mexico or Columbia. Interesting!

New photo gallery: Home Business Signs
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Home Business Sign: Tortillas

Homemade Tortillas by Ana that I pass every day walking.
She sells them out a window of her house.
People walk or ride a bike to her house to get morning or evening bread.
Atenas, Costa Rica

For first-timers, this is the second in a new series of posts with photos of interesting signs people in Atenas hang outside their homes for their home business. With two photos now, I have also started a new photo gallery: Home Business Signs