Name: Jorge Villarreal

Business name: El Carnaval Latin Food Store and Restaurant, 4009 Pio Nono Ave., Macon.

Phone: (478) 785-6717.

Store hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

How long have you been open?: “Ten years and the restaurant three years. It’s going fine. It’s OK. I have enough to pay my employees and taxes.”

Villarreal said he decided to open the grocery store and restaurant “to bring something new to Macon, something nobody’s got.

“I didn’t want to bring something the community already has.”

What’s your specialty?: “Groceries, meats, fresh vegetables,” Villarreal said. Other items sold include spices, clothing and (cowboy) boots. “ ... We have piñatas for parties.” Villarreal said, adding that his most poplar item in the restaurant is tacos.

What are your future plans?: “For the moment, because of the economy, I’m going to stand by and see if things change,” Villarreal said. “If things change, I’ll probably open another store.”

-- Harold Goodridge