Harrington es placentero y amigable lugar

Former migrant workers are putting down roots pursuing the American Dream



By Captain D



IT WAS BLUEBERRIES that brought Juan and Doris Centeno to Harrington; it was their entrepreneurial spirit that made them stay.
The Centenos are the people behind Tienda Mexicana, a little store situated in Timpkin Plaza, a small shopping center on Route 1 across from Narraguagus High School.
It's a classic story of bright and energetic individuals recognizing opportunity and risking all to turn it into reality.
Today, Tienda Mexicana is the favorite gathering place for rakers working the blueberry fields of Downeast Maine.
The Centenos came to Harrington seven years ago. Instead of moving on after the blueberry harvest, they and several other Hispanics found steadier work in the local sea cucumber plant. Four years ago, Juan began bringing back tortillas from Boston. Slowly, the idea of starting a permanent, year-round store began to seem like a real possibility.
They took the plunge in May 2000. Using $2,000 borrowed from friends, they opened Tienda Mexicana.
"Things were pretty tight for quite a while," Juan says. "Our American friends helped us out a lot."
Although the Centeno's clientele is largely Mexican, neither of them is. Juan is from Guatemala; Doris from Hondorus. They met 10 years ago picking fruit in Florida. They have two daughters, Abigail and Tania.
Two or three hundred other Hispanics have followed the Centenos lead in becoming year round residents. In the off-season, many are engaged in wreath-making. Soon, the Centenos hope to be serving this community with a full-service restaurant.
It's been a tough row to hoe, but now the Centenos say they're very happy. The people of Harrington have treated them well, they say, and now they're living the American dream.