A struggle along the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Soto lugging her cart with the help of a homeless man for two blocks to her vending spot at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place in Los Angeles. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

GROWING up in Guatemala, Ruth Monrroy often spent time at her mother’s restaurant watching in awe of how she connected with customers.

“I knew I wanted to have my own business,” Monrroy said on a recent weekday afternoon on Hollywood Boulevard, where her childhood wish has come true.