At just 25 years old, our Someone 2 Know recently opened two cafes in downtown Reno. Eugenio Chavez got his start thanks to a statewide program that offers support to blind and visually impaired persons who are interested in owning their own businesses.

We paid a visit to the Biggest Little Café location in Reno City Hall and got to watch Chavez in action. At checkout, you will hear the sound of a voice-assisted cash register - it helps a visually impaired user to ring up a sale. Specialized features help Eugenio Chavez, who is legally blind, run his business. Plus, some details he has designed himself.

"I have everything set up to where I know where everything's at, organized alphabetically."

The opening of Biggest Little Café was celebrated on January 17th.

"I didn't expect that many people to come, to be honest but, yeah, it was really cool,” beams Chavez, “I'm just really excited to finally get started!"

Getting started wasn't easy. By the time he was 18, Eugenio was legally blind and had no idea where to turn.

"I felt like my life was over, to be honest..."

Chavez says he started noticing vision loss when he was just a little boy and didn’t get much help from doctors. Then in his teens, finally an answer and a diagnosis - "a disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa."

Rare and with no cure, most patients lose most of their sight.  Chavez admits, he lost hope, too. At first.

"I went a lot of years where I was struggling and you know, I decided that enough was enough that I was tired of being tired and sad."

Eugenio spoke with counselors at DETR - Nevada's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation - and learned about a special resource for Nevadans affected by vision loss.

"Called Blind Connect, and I went to Las Vegas, I spent eight months over there by myself doing this training for my vision rehabilitation."

Which soon after lead to the Business Enterprises of Nevada or BEN program.

"It basically gives blind and low vision individuals priority to run business in government buildings,” explains Chavez.

In the lobby at Reno City Hall, Biggest Little Café has grab and go, vending, and made-to-order options on offer, and hope is back on the menu.

"Because there's always a way, there's always a way to become whatever you wanna be,” smiles Chavez.

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There are two locations for Biggest Little Café; one in the lobby of Reno City Hall and one inside the Reno Justice Center.

Chavez says his family's support is invaluable - both his mom and niece work for him, full-time. He's also grateful for the opportunities offered by DETR, the BEN program and Blind Connect.

Links to those programs, here –

DETR Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation https://detr.nv.gov/

Business Enterprise of Nevada BEN Program https://detr.nv.gov/Page/Business_Enterprises_of_Nevada

Blind Connect https://www.blindconnect.org/