Proud Young Port Chester Natives Open Native Goods Co.

Two young Port Chester men have opened a store that caters to the local teens they were just a few years ago. Jormar Costillo and Luis Mendoza, 24 and 20, respectively, opened a “men’s lifestyle boutique” called Native Goods in late January and have already become popular with Port Chester’s high school students.

They have taken their intense pride in their Port Chester roots and turned it into a business they hope will appeal to all Westchester residents proud of their hometowns.

Of course, the young entrepreneurs are looking to make money from their business, but they mostly talk about providing a safe and positive place for teens to spend their time.

“We know what it is like growing up here and we want to give back,” Castillo said. “Most parents work two jobs and this is a good spot to keep busy. We want to be role models for the kids. You don’t have to go that (negative) route and stay in the streets,” Mendoza said.

Growing up in Port Chester the two men were friends with a diverse group of kids whose families were black, white, Ecuadorian, Guatemalan and many other mixes in between, they said. Both storeowners are from Peruvian families. 

 “We pick up different things from different cultures,” Mendoza said. “We want to show the rest of New York we are not upstate. We are a diverse community and you have to be proud of where you are from.”

One of their local idols has already come by to visit, professional soccer player and Port Chester native Edson Buddle. The pro-athlete told the guys he is interested in working with them to set up a soccer tournament, signing and possibly a clinic for the local youth in the village, Castillo said.  Another celebrity, comedian George Lopez, also stopped in the store and bought a shirt to show his support before his recent performance at The Capitol Theatre.

The men saw the opening of The Cap as an opportunity to take advantage of increased foot traffic in the area. Castillo’s father was renting the small storefront, which is actually located in the Cap’s building, to run a money exchange business for the last few years. He vacated the store to give his son a shot at making it into a clothing store that could double as a community-meeting place for kids.

“We are young and we are really trying to connect to people from here, especially the youth,” Castillo said. About 15 to 20 kids stop by everyday and to check out the goods.

Only a few years out of Port Chester High School, the two know what’s cool. Their store is stocked with beanie hats that girls buy for themselves and their boyfriends, dozens of snapbacks (flat-brimmed hats) and printed tee shirts. Items range from as cheap as $3 to as pricey as $300, with the average price around $30-$50.

They are working with a local artist who designed a “Westchester Native” shirt, printed in Port Chester, that they will release soon. Some of the brands they carry are Publish, D9, Reserve and Secret Society.

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As kids, the two spent their time getting kicked out of Rec Park for playing soccer, a ritual that developed with Castillo’s generation and was passed down to Mendoza’s.

They reminisce about using garbage bags as goals, dividing up into 10 to 15 different teams and trying their best to play all day until sun down without being chased out by the cops. These days the kids are allowed to play at the park, but they still feel that the community does not provide enough outlets for large Hispanic teen population in Port Chester, they say. So the two are hoping to help fill in that large gap with their small store. 

They are not just hoping kids will loiter around the shop, although they have no problem with people hanging out, but they have already organized events in and out of the store and plan more to come.

They hosted a gaming tournament for their grand opening in January. A line of about 100 kids ran out the door and down the block while a DJ spun inside while the kids battled each other on FIFA and NBA 2K. They also host a radio show out of the shop every Wednesday that brought in more than 600 listeners in two weeks.

They are working on holding another gaming tournament in conjunction with Monroe College some time soon.

The young businessmen have a marketing campaign that has successfully built hype around their store and which essentially costs nothing. They utilize social media tools, twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to offer deals, promote events and spread the word.

Castillo got his experience by working with TME promotion in Greenwich and studying graphic design in University of Connecticut college. He graduated in 2011 with a degree in marketing.

Mendoza, a junior at Monroe college student, has already helped start a sneaker reselling business in Mt. Kisco, Secret Society. He and his partners sold their successful store and he has used his share of the money to help start Native Goods. He already earned an associates degree in applied science in business administration and is currently working towards his bachelor’s degree in business management and minors in entrepreneurship.

The two knew each other their whole lives because Mendoza was close with Castillo’s younger brother. When they realized their backgrounds and experiences lined up well to start a new business, they teamed up pretty quickly.

Two months after their opening, Castilla and Mendoza feel they have a bright future ahead of them and are determined to keep giving back to their community by serving the youth, just like the kids support them.  

 “The people keeping us in business are the kids,” Castillo said.

Check out Native Goods on Facebook and Twitter. They are located at 151 Westchester Avenue, Port Chester. Read their store hours here. 

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