ALICE, Texas —
A coffee shop in Alice is using a traditional Mexican board game to spotlight the people and culture of its community.
Trisha Villarreal, owner of Midtown Perk, launched Coyote Lotería in September. Lotería is a game of chance similar to bingo that uses illustrated picture cards. Midtown Perk’s version swaps the classic images for people and pieces of culture from Alice and nearby towns, including San Diego and Agua Dulce.
“Part of being a small business owner, you’re always thinking of ways to connect with the community,” Villarreal said. “I think that comes really organically for us, since we are part of the community. We were born and raised in Alice.”
The shop releases new cards every Thursday, and the collection keeps growing.
Customers aren’t just collecting the cards. They’re trading them. Villarreal said people began sending her screenshots of Facebook posts where collectors offered to swap cards.
“That’s when I really thought, oh, this really did connect with the community,” she said.
The cards aren’t the shop’s only way of giving back. Midtown Perk sets aside part of its proceeds for scholarships for graduating seniors in Alice. Villarreal said the shop has done this for about four years and awarded 17 scholarships last year.
The newest addition to the collection is a mystery card called “El Reportero Local,” which features this reporter.
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