VALLARTA DRAWING CROWDS LATINO SUPERMARKET GIVING NEW LIFE TO SHOPPING CENTER.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer VALENCIA -- Henry ``Big'' Lopez has been cutting hair for 26 years at Valencia's oldest shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into , and he's seen some changes over the years. The latest change was the arrival of Vallarta supermarket this month as the center's new anchor tenant. On Friday, one of his longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective customers suggested a change for Lopez now that the Latino market is open. ``Now have you put up a sign that says you speak Spanish? I'm serious,'' said customer Russ Laibl, sitting in the swivel chair as Lopez trimmed his hair. More foot-traffic from the new Latino supermarket would be a welcome change for businesses in the center. Since the supermarket opened, the long-empty parking lot at Lyons Avenue and Orchard orchard, generally an area on which fruit or nut trees are planted and cultivated. The words grove and plantation are often used when the fruits are tropical, e.g., a "citrus grove" or a "banana plantation. Village Road has been jammed. Owners of a few of the stores said they expect little new business from Vallarta customers. But Lopez had a different view of the supermarket, which had been opposed by a group of residents who said it doesn't fit with the neighborhood. ``I think it's better than not having anything there,'' said Lopez, whose business is called Angelo's Barber Shop. ``We were vacant there for about a year. ... But now you have more activity, people walking around and it's good for us. And I'm sure it will bring us some business.'' Chanji, an Armenian-American owner of a teriyaki ter·i·ya·ki n. A Japanese dish of grilled or broiled slices of marinated meat or shellfish. [Japanese : teri, glaze + yaki, to broil.] Noun 1. stand in the shopping center, also welcomed the new store. ``It's not like a ghost town ghost town, term for any once flourishing American community that has been abandoned, generally for economic reasons. While most of the towns have little or no population, they often contain old buildings, which may serve as tourist attractions. ,'' said Chanji, who declined to give his last name. Sitting in Angelo's Barber Shop, Lopez with his dark glasses and photos of athletes on the wall, and longtime customer Laibl both had the relaxed manner of two men who have gotten to know each other over time. Lopez suggested Laibl had been stopping by for 15 years, and Laibl chided him, saying it had been a lot longer than that. Regardless, both men could speak about the predecessors to Vallarta. There was an Albertsons, a Lucky grocery store and, more than 20 years ago, a Safeway. Lopez acknowledged that Vallarta might not help all the businesses in the center. There are about 20 in all. ``It's not going to help the frame shop,'' said Lopez, a Latino who wondered if other Latinos now drawn to the center would patronize pa·tron·ize tr.v. pa·tron·ized, pa·tron·iz·ing, pa·tron·iz·es 1. To act as a patron to; support or sponsor. 2. To go to as a customer, especially on a regular basis. 3. all the businesses. Vallarta sits on an invisible border between Newhall's Latino neighborhood and older, largely white areas. Paul Lee Paul Lee (born 21st March 1981, in Nottingham, England) is a motorcycle speedway rider, who currently rides for the King's Lynn Stars.[1]. Career Honours
Over at the other end of the parking lot at the Starlight star·light n. The light from the stars. starlight Noun the light that comes from the stars Noun 1. Cafe, the owner and her son were more optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op . ``A lot more people are checking us out,'' said Eddie Marquez, 23, whose family restaurant serves up homestyle hamburgers and sandwiches over a wooden counter. ``They ask for menus, they ask what we do, they ask what we have,'' Marquez said. ``So (business is) coming, it's just too early to tell.'' alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) The Vallarta market in the shopping mall at the corner of Orchard Village Road and Lyons Avenue has filled the parking lot with shoppers. (2 -- color) Henry ``Big'' Lopez, who has been cutting hair for 26 years at Valencia's oldest shopping center, welcomes Vallarta's addition. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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