What is a bodega? A bodega is a Spanish word typically associated with a small grocery store or neighborhood convenience store predominately owned and run by Hispanics, among other ethnic groups. However, there are other associations with this word as well. The word bodega also means a wine shop or a warehouse for the storage of wine. Nevertheless, if you ask most people what a bodega is, they will tell you it is a small grocery store, but not a 7-11.

I chose to title this book Brooklyn Bodega simply because of the many distinct bodegas in Brooklyn. Although Manhattan and Staten Island...