When Rick García's youngest son came home from school one day and asked him, "Dad, what am I?", García responded, "Well mijo, you're a Mexican of course!"
When his son went on to say he didn't speak or understand Spanish, a light when off in Garcia's brain.
"I thought to myself, I am not going to let this happen. I refuse to let my children grow up without knowing what their roots are," said García.
He teamed with his cousin, Ernesto García, to launch a business selling T-shirts with funny slogans using Spanish words in place of well-known American symbols and icons. They were humorous, colorful and unique -- and the type not sold at the mall.
That was the birth of Aztlán Xpressions in San José.
But after 18 years of business, the worst occurred.
"My wife got ill and we lost everything," said García.
He shut the business down, and lost his home. He moved with his wife and children moved to Fresno.
In the back of his mind, he remembered the words of his late grandmother who made him come to Fresno every summer to pick grapes underneath the scorching sun.
"It doesn't matter how you fall mijo -- what matters is how you get back up," she would say.
In November 1999, García started his business again. This time, he focused on local artists and Chicano artwork.
"I've always loved Chicano history and when I made my transition to Fresno, I met a lot of artists who produce amazing work and don't have a way to sell it. Today, I sell their prints and works of art and I also do the framing at a minimal cost so my customers can get a good price on a piece of their choice," said García.
Each year, he hosts the annual Latino Art and Wine Show at Noni Winery in Madera the last weekend of September to showcase Latino- and Chicano-inspired artwork.
"It's one of the rare times people have the opportunity to converse with artists, check out their work and enjoy a glass of wine," said García.
Aztlán Xpressions, inside the old K-mart building turned Super Mall near Golden State and Highway 99, includes a wide selection of T-shirts, paintings, postcards and pins. In one corner of the store, he sells UFW merchandise dedicated to his late grandmother.
"If it wasn't for her or the people in the United Farm Workers, I wouldn't understand the value of hard work. I also wouldn't know what it's like to have pride in one's own culture and upbringing. I believe Latino's are where they are today because of them," said García.
"My only hope is to be able to offer my customers a slice of that pride and history in the products I sell," he said.