“Sweet Beehive” is the literal translation of Mexican general and candy store La Colmena Dulceria.
“If you asked any Latino what ‘la colmena’ was, he would tell you it is a candy store and that is because beehives are full of honey and sweetness,” said Cesar Bencomo, owner and manager of the Springerville franchise near Arizona’s eastern border.
La Colmena Dulceria is now offering sweet deals on moving equipment and supplies as a new U-Haul neighborhood dealer. Its inventory features trucks, trailers, towing equipment, cargo vans and after-hours drop-off.
La Colmena Dulceria is located at 40 W. Main St. and is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Bencomo and his wife, Theresa Morales, worked at a similar store in Mexico. Now, they own two stores in the White Mountains: Cesar works at the Springerville location and Theresa works at the Lakeside location.
La Colmena Dulceria is a multi-tasking Mexican store that offers money wiring, pinatas and candy. It opened in April 2014.
There was another U-Haul neighborhood dealer in Springerville that Bencomo rented from about once a week. But when that store closed, Bencomo saw the need to keep U-Haul products in Springerville.
“Otherwise, the people would have to drive 50 miles to Show Low and that is just too difficult,” he explained.
Bencomo’s store fulfills a community need for U-Haul and Hispanic goods. However, there are some challenges that he faces.
“We want to appeal to the local market, but it is hard because sometimes Americans don’t recognize the candy,” Bencomo said. “Even other Latinos that are living here don’t always recognize the Mexican candies.”
Bencomo aspires to make his store a collection center for Fundacion Teleton, a Mexican charity.
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