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Amado Campos: The travails of a cart vendor

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Amado Campos is his own boss, but he works long hours, seven days a week, selling boiled corn on the cob, flavored drinks and Flaming Hot Cheetos. His costs are up, but sales are down. And he needs a new cart.

Wednesday’s Times featured a terrific Column One story by Hector Becerra about Campos, one of Los Angeles’ ubiquitous cart vendors. Campos, who built himself a rickety vending cart that tends to tip over and spill his food and drinks, is struggling to stay afloat as his customers cut back in a poor economy.

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He was up late the night before, preparing flavorings for shave ice and pouring them into quart and gallon jugs. He awoke at 4 a.m. and took a bus to downtown Los Angeles to buy corn and other supplies at a wholesale food center. Then he hurried home to Boyle Heights to load the cart.

He will walk miles today, up hills and across freeway overpasses, under bridges and past gangbangers.

Click here to read the full story.

-- Elina Shatkin

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