Oscar Murcia, owner of El Guanaco Bakery, poses for a photo in front of his wall of memories in his E. 7th St. bakery on St. Paul's East Side on Saturday, May 19, 2018. St. Paul's burgeoning Latino district on the East Side may well rival the established West Side. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Rosario Diaz at her Manana Restaurant, a staple of Salvadoran cuisine at 828 E. Seventh St. on St. Paul's East Side on Saturday, May 19, 2018. After garnering a decade-long following for its authentic Salvadoran cuisine, Mañana Restaurant will open in an East Seventh Street space a half-block away with nearly three times the seating of its current spot. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Parishioners enter the main doors of Sacred Heart Catholic Church on St. Paul's East Side for an evening mass on Saturday, May 19, 2018. There are two Saturday services: one in English, one in Spanish. The English-speaking crowd is in the dozens, mostly elderly. The Spanish service is in the hundreds, with lots of children. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Alinda Suarez, owner of Taqueria Los Paisanos, takes an order at her East Side restaurant on Saturday, May 19, 2018. SuarezÕs business started as a food truck on East Seventh. Then she set down roots as a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 825 E. Seventh, across the street from the truck, a decade ago. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Dresses are displayed at Cristy's Bridal on E. 7th Street in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)



Henry Garnica, owner of CentroMex Supermercado on St. Paul's East Side talks with a customer on Saturday, May 19, 2018. Garnica, a Columbian immigrant renovated and revived the store, which anchors the corner of East Seventh and Arcade streets. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

The Herrera family enjoys lunch at Taqueria Los Pisanos on E. 7th St. on St. Paul's East Side on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

An employee restocks the bakery shelves at El Guanaco Bakery on St. Paul's East Side on Saturday, May 19, 2018. Kesia Garcia, 26, who runs El Guanaco Bakery at 849 E. Seventh with her father, Oscar Garcia. In 2006, the bakery opened with nine chairs. It started serving coffee, then food. They now ship bread to Latino markets as far away as Iowa and the Dakotas. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

A plate of tacos await a customer at Taqueria Los Paisanos in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Some of the items for sale at El Guanaco Bakery in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)



Customers shop at the CentroMex Supermercado in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

A selection of the fresh produce and other items for sale at the CentrolMex Supermercado in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Owner Alinda Suarez takes an order at Taqueria Los Paisanos in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Customers enjoy their meals at Mañana Restaurant in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. The restaurant is moving to a larger location nearby. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Bakers Dalia Reyes, left, and Juan Ramon prepare more pastries at El Guanaco Bakery in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)



A sidewalk sign advertises Jugos Y Licuados cafe on East 7th Street on St. Paul's East Side on Saturday, May 19, 2018. The area is becoming is home to many stores and restaurants owned by immigrants from South and Central America. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Customers eat at El Guanaco Bakery in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

A colorful election of sodas for sale at CentrolMex Supermercado in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Some of the items for sale at El Guanaco Bakery in St. Paul on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

El Guanaco Bakery. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)



CentroMex Supermercado, (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Taqueria Los Paisanos. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Is the East Side the new West Side? When it comes to St. Paul’s burgeoning Latino district, it may very well be.

Consider: There are now four established Latino restaurants on just one block. Three of them have undergone major renovations within the past several years — doubling or tripling in size.

There are two dress shops, focusing heavily on quinceanera attire. A supermercado. A smattering of other businesses, roughly two-thirds Latino-owned.

There’s the Mexican Consulate — the only one in a four-state area.

And there’s the largest Latino-focused social service agency in the state, which will break ground on a $7.5 million expansion — also doubling in size — next month.

All that on one East Seventh Street block. And business owners are sticking their heads out the door, on a street that once had more than its fair share of quality-of-life crimes.

“When we opened a decade ago, we decided to close early — 8 p.m. — because people would avoid this part of town,” said Balmore Diaz-Paiz, who runs Mañana Restaurant, a staple of Salvadoran cuisine at 828 E. Seventh St.

Next month, Mañana is opening a half-block away in a newly renovated building — with a patio, bar and nearly triple the seating space.

“We’re planning on staying open until 11 p.m. It’s fine here now,” Diaz-Paiz said.

Henry Garnica, a Columbian immigrant who renovated and revived the CentralMex Supermercado, which anchors the corner of East Seventh and Arcade streets, said he’s gotten a few comments about his floor. Under a previous owner, the surface looked a little like dirt. Now it shines.

“They say, ‘You must have a lot of money,’ ” Garnica laughs. “I just cleaned it. But there are many more businesses now. Restaurants, a bakery, grocery store, two salons, two dress shops. The Farmers Insurance is Latino-owned.

“The immigrants feel safer here. They can find anything they need.”

‘GOING HIPSTER’

A couple of blocks to the south sits Sacred Heart Catholic Church. There are two Saturday services: one in English, one in Spanish. The English-speaking crowd is in the dozens, mostly elderly. The Spanish service is in the hundreds, with lots of children.

Quipped the church’s English-speaking secretary, “I only come in once a week. That’s all they need me.”

At the far west side of the block sits another major mover and shaker: Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio, known as “CLUES.” It’s the largest social-service organization run by and for Latinos in Minnesota. And it used to be on the city’s West Side.

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But when the organization looked to own, rather than lease, space in 2005, they chose East Seventh.

“In that time, I think the Latino community started to move to the East Side,” said Ruby Lee, the organization’s executive director. Now, 30,000 people walk through the East Seventh Street doors every year.

Next month, the nonprofit will break ground on a project that will move the last vestiges of its business — an elder day program — out of the West Side. After tearing down the building next door, building a new one and connecting it, CLUES’ 20,000 square feet of space will grow to 38,000.

And the current elder program on Robert Street will move north, across the river.

But for now, it’s not the elder program people see; it’s the opposite.

“When I was driving down the road, I was kind of looking at it. … It feels like the neighborhood’s going hipster,” said Kesia Garcia, 26, who runs El Guanaco Bakery at 849 E. Seventh with her father, Oscar Garcia.

In 2006, the bakery opened with nine chairs. It started serving coffee, then food.

They now ship bread to Latino markets as far away as Iowa and the Dakotas. Yes, there’s a Mexican bakery in Worthington, Minn.; but the Garcias’ is Salvadoran.

“I was 15 when we opened. I remember during the summer, we had the door open to let in the air. There were sirens, two cars stopped in the middle of the road, and there was shooting. My mom was crying; I was excited,” said Kesia Garcia. “Nothing like that has happened again.”

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A few years ago, they started doing the Seventh Street business fairs.

She even remembers how much food they used to make every week: 10 cups of sauce, for the pupusas. Now they’re up to 264 cups a week. Last year, they bought the space next door, doubling in size.

“We come all the way from Northeast Minneapolis,” said customer Marlene Rodriguez. “In Minneapolis, they have pupusas, yeah. But one time, we went to a place and they put sour cream on top.” She shook her head.

Then there was the time she asked for a quesadilla in Minneapolis. She got a Mexican cheese-stuffed tortilla, not the sweet cake common to El Salvador.

“No,” Rodriguez said. “No, no, no.”

LIFTING ALL BOATS

A half-block down, Alinda Suarez, owner of Taqueria Los Paisanos, said she’s happy for her competition. Most importantly, she sees people walking on the street.

“It will rise all boats,” she says.

Suarez’s business started as a food truck on East Seventh. Then she set down roots as a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 825 E. Seventh, across the street from the truck, a decade ago.

“When we got into brick and mortar, I believe part of the reason is we never had any major (security) incidents,” Suarez said. About four or five years ago, business really started going up.

Related: She sold Salvadoran food on the side. Now her East Side eatery is expanding

“In five years, I’ve had to call police three times for serious things. I am lucky,” said supermercado owner Garnica.

There are plenty of tiny signals: Coffeetarik, a Latino juice bar, expanded in the back of an art space on the block earlier this year. The new Fiesta Latina street fair in August. Suarez points to Cabana’s, a full block away, that renovated after being open for a dozen years — the third restaurant on the block to do so in recent years.

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“For inspections, in all my time they came twice: last year and this year,” said Garnica, who took over the supermercado five years ago.

He takes a moment to share his burgeoning tax bill, a little irritated.

“We are paying taxes, we are hiring people, we are working hard,” Garnica added, noting he has five full-time employees and three part timers. “That’s really the thing. That’s what I want people to know.”