Komers, Matous – 1.1 Research Interest

Although you mentioned it in lecture, I would be interested in researching the area between 6th and 7th avenues on Blair Boulevard. I like to shop at El Rancho Meat Market because they have some foods I like that are not sold in a regular grocery store, and also have a good restaurant and food cart. It seems to me that the food is great, but is being priced out by Tacovore on the other side of 6th Avenue. In addition, this Latino block has been sandwiched between the two busy streets, and seems to be neglected, while the surrounding area thrives while the Latino influence dissipates.

I am not sure how to put it or what to measure specifically, but I would like to know how this came to be and what is making the block so isolated. Even though there are busy streets on either side, the culture seems to be shunned outside that one block, which seems like an extremely abrupt change. While Eugene is predominantly white, this block would have the potential to grow to a greater Latino district on its own, but it seems to be suffocated by its surroundings.

While I had already been thinking of this previously, this article had me thinking about it further:

https://www.dailyemerald.com/arts-culture/the-price-of-authentic-tacos/article_d14557c0-0b3e-11ea-96c9-2fbbaf5d9f0e.html

From initial observations, it seems that Tacovore attracts more people because it is trendy and more marketable, unlike El Rancho, which seems to prefer a more casual and quick, but still authentic dining experience. As the article mentions, “authentic” in non-Western cuisines has become stigmatized to rather mean cheap or low quality, which is without a doubt having impacts on the professional development of El Rancho. The block is also surrounded by hardware stores and automotive shops, which seem to hug the interior space between 7th and 6th Avenue instead of being dispersed on both sides, restricting El Rancho even more.

The block has served as a Latino commercial center for years, frequently changing owners and being previously called the Lupita, then Mi Tierra and now El Rancho. The owner of the building, Arminda Espinoza, has strived to keep the character of the place alive, but has struggled with rising rent prices in the area. In short, the only people who can afford to rent there do not have the tradition of the place in mind, but rather want to redevelop it. Ultimately, this could be a good topic to look into – how rent prices are impacting the make-up of the block around El Rancho and how to mitigate its impacts to make the area affordable for the community without becoming displaced and gentrified.