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In some ways, residents of San Juan Bautista have boredom to thank for the newly opened Mission Market on Muckelemi Street. Co-owner Adrian Mendoza discovered the former Neil’s Market location by chance during a 2021 car trip from his home in Watsonville, one of many he took to pass the time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As I was driving by,” he said, “I thought it was a cool-looking store. I didn’t know it had been a grocery store before. I thought it was just a vacant commercial lot. About a year later, I heard it was for sale, and our family moved quickly.”
Adrian’s father, co-owner Javier Francisco Mendoza, owns Watsonville’s Las Lomas Market, another formerly closed location that had been a grocery store and gas station until he renovated it in 2003.
“My dad is very entrepreneurial,” Adrian said. “He had been a car salesman since he was 17. I don’t think he ever expected to be in the grocery business, and it wasn’t an overnight success, by any means.”
Following his college graduation in 2019, Mendoza lent a hand at his father’s market during the pandemic. He quickly found himself being groomed to take over the business.
“He was at the point where he had achieved what he wanted,” he said. “It was kind of like, ‘Here’s the keys and, yeah, don’t crash the car. Let’s work together, and I’ll show you what I’ve been doing.”
The family acquired the Mission Market location in 2022 and began what turned out to be two and a half years of renovation.
“I was maybe a bit naive with how long the construction was going to take,” he said. “We were waiting on the materials we needed to do the work and a lot of the contractors were already busy. And then we were waiting on inspections and things.”
One of the main features of the new store is the Mexican-style carnicería with assorted styles of pork, chicken, beef and fish, Mexican cheeses, house-made salsas and hot dishes including tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, and sopes. There are also combination plates with rice and beans, breakfast items served until 10 a.m. and menudo and birria on weekends.
Mendoza modeled the meat counter after the one at Las Lomas Market and has initially staffed it with some of that store’s employees. He said he is hoping to expand the offerings to include meats cooked on an outdoor grill—a nod, in part, to the roasted chicken once served at Neil’s.
“It’s the same business plan,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got a proven system over there so, you know, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here.”
Mission Market opened on June 28, the day before Mendoza’s 29th birthday. One of the first customers was Mayor Leslie Jordan, who said she thought it was “beautiful and amazing” to have a new business in town.
“They did a fabulous job inside,” Jordan said. “The meat market looks great and the quesadilla I had was wonderful. I am super thrilled for them.”
City Councilman Jose Aranda described the store as “clean and modern” and said he became a regular customer after stopping by on the first day to purchase three pounds of arrachera carne asada.
“I loved seeing all the marinated meats,” he said, “And what I bought was great and flavorful. I also love that they have a taqueria in the back and you can order food to go. Their chili verde burritos are fantastic.”
Mendoza cited his father’s strong work ethic and commitment to offering low prices and high quality as the inspiration for his approach to Mission Market.
“He knows what hard work is,” he said. “He’s definitely the kind of guy who arrived at the store at 4:30 a.m. every day. He has been all about the community and customer service. And that is what we want for our business here.”
The dedication extends to the notepads beside each register where clerks are instructed to write down customer requests. And there are plans to offer check cashing services, money transfer, and bill pay, which Mendoza said has proven very popular at the Watsonville store.
“We are just trying to come here and do the best that we possibly can,” Mendoza said. “Life is tough these days, right? We want to be sure, when you come in here, that it is nice and you are greeted by a friendly face.”
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