El Nayar's Future Uncertain (Updated)

(Updated Thursday, 10 p.m.)

The Elkridge location of El Nayar will close, according to an El Nayar post on Facebook.

"Unfortunately, we have decided to close Elkridge," an El Nayar representative posted on the Catonsville Facebook page Thursday. "We can't thank enough everyone who has wished us the best and gave us their loving comments. We will continue fighting for our business and continue to improve."

The number to the Elkridge business was disconnected Thursday.

Original article:

Down the street from Ellicott City, in Catonsville, Mexican restaurant El Nayar is in danger of closing.

Owner Maria Flores managed to retain her sunny disposition through most of a conversation about the future of her business - which also has a location in Elkridge - maintaining that she would have no problem surviving if things didn't go well. 

But her business is hers. She built it from the ground up and won't let it go easily.

"I can start over if I have to, but I will fight for my business.”

The credit card machines are down, hours have shrunk and Flores said she has been fighting to keep her dream alive amid a recession that has taken customers away from the business—a situation at least one expert says small business owners are confronting across the region.

If El Nayar doesn’t work out, Flores said she may return to working at McDonald’s. "I don't close any doors," she said.

Flores 38, who has three children, said she and her husband to review their finances after realizing they owed $600,000 to creditors.

“After the recession…business went down," said Flores, who told Patch she used to have 12 non-family-member employees at the Elkridge location; now there are 2.

Flores, who came to the United States from Mexico more than 20 years ago, opened El Nayar in Elkridge in 2006 and in Catonsville in 2008. The Columbia resident also serves on the Howard County Police Department's Citizens Advisory Council.

A friend and advisor to Flores agreed that small businesses continue to face challenges.

“I’m just running into people who are closing down and getting ready to close. I don’t think the economy is looking particularly great,” said L. C. Aaronson, director of the Enterprise Institute at the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville. 

Aaronson coordinates the annual Women’s Expo at CCBC, an event he said usually attracts 175 vendors. “This year we were down to 135,” he said. “Twenty-five women who are normally there every year were out of business.” 

Said Aaronson: “These small restaurants are getting hurt pretty badly” and at El Nayar, he added: “Sales have been way off for her the past two years.”

Flores said that during the recession, people were cooking at home more frequently and costs were continuing to rise.

“We put every single penny into our business,” said Flores, who previously ran a food truck with her husband.

Before opening El Nayar, Flores also worked at McDonald’s in Montgomery County, where she rose through the ranks to become a manager. 

She stayed for 15 years and continued to work at the fast food chain for the first six months El Nayar was open. 

“I like to work,” explained Flores. “I love to serve customers.”

On a busy evening in the Catonsville location, Flores is everywhere: the kitchen, the front counter and, tellingly, chatting with customers in the dining area. "Do the kids want some candy?" she asked with a smile. Her voice lowered, however, as she talked to adults about the future of the business.

While Patch interviewed Flores at a picnic table in front of the Elkridge restaurant, her husband (who is also her business partner) periodically knocked on the window, holding the telephone and gesturing that people wanted to speak with her. 

Customers waved as they came and went, offering encouraging words for Flores, whose eyes welled when asked whether El Nayar would close.

"I can start over if I have to," she said, "but I will fight for my business."

There is a 90 percent chance that El Nayar will remain open at both locations, according to Flores.

Aaronson told a different story Wednesday, stating that one of the two restaurants would close. “Elkridge is going to be closing very soon—maybe in a couple of days,” said Aaronson in a phone interview.

Flores said there were people interested in helping her save the business: "We’re going to come back," she said.

"When it happens, I will believe it,” said Aaronson. “I’ve been true with many clients and businesses before. I’m always very cautious.”

Said Flores: “I have angels.”

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You can find more articles from this ongoing series, “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream” from across the country at The Huffington Post.