At the time the Salvadorian Civil War broke out, Carlos Castro was 24 and working in a factory in El Salvador. Seeking a better future for him and his family, Castro migrated to the US to find well-paying work that would allow him the opportunity to send money back to his wife.Â
For his first ten years in the US, Carlos worked in restaurants cleaning bathrooms and washing dishes and learned English and started thinking about running his own business. During that time, he obtained a permanent residency in the US (green card) and was able to bring his wife and children to live with him in the US. In 1990, Castro became an American citizen. That was also the year he established Todos Supermarket—a grocery store that met the needs of a growing Hispanic community in Northern Virginia.
The first Todos Supermarket was located in Woodbridge, VA, and was 2,500 square feet. Castro told Emily Sides in a 2018 interview that he did not know the first thing about running a supermarket. Thus, it was a steep learning curve. They even struggled to keep it up, considering selling the store, until one day, when the offer to buy the store came, they were profitable.
In 2003, Todos Supermarket opened its second location in Alexandria but sold it five years later and instead opened the Dumfries location. In 2011, they expanded in Woodbridge to a 50,000-square-foot site. By 2018, between the two stores, Todos Supermarket employed over 180 people.
At a The Hill event, Castro advised prospective entrepreneurs in the audience to “Work hard and stay positive.” During the past 30 years, he has placed importance on continuous learning and attending the customer’s needs. When the company noticed grocery markets going online, Todos Supermarkets found ways to create experiences for their customers to shop in person. As a result, one of its stores offers services such as money transfers and post office, in addition to having a clothing store and a barbershop.