Renovations are almost finished to the Main Stop convenience store, located two blocks off the Square.
Owner Antonio Jaime purchased the store three years ago.
The number of customers grew and now he’s expanding to accommodate them.
“We put in new windows, new doors, new ceiling, new walls, new electrical,” Jaime said, “Basically it’s going to be a brand new building.”
The exterior was much shorter with a concrete block front and stone waist high in front of the building.
Now the building sports a fresh façade in tan stucco and brick in place of the stone.
They added 1,000-square-feet to the north and east of the building to house the new beverage coolers and a handicapped accessible bathroom.
“Basically nobody has done anything to this store in maybe 15-20 years,” he said.
Jaime said the renovation will give him more room for inventory and a little room for seating.
“More open space is what I want so the customers feel comfortable when they walk in and they don’t feel so tight,” he said.
The old coolers on the west side will be removed and the area will be used for storage.
Business was slow when he bought the place, but over the last few years it’s more than tripled.
Jaime credits the variety of specialty and international items he stocks in addition to quick snacks.
“This store has got a lot of different stuff that nobody else has,” he said.
If someone requests a specialty item often he will order it.
“We treat them like a family,” Jaime said.
Customers visit from the Square, the surrounding industrial area, retirement apartments, and the neighborhood.
“We got people from everywhere, the Square, the neighborhood,” Jaime said. “We’ve got people coming from different towns.”
He’s heard good comments from his customers.
Joel Padilla, setting tile in the new restroom, said the building looked run down before Jaime started his renovations.
“He wants to take care of his customers so they’re going to be comfortable,” Padilla said.
The exterior work is complete and the tile is almost done.
The coolers need to be installed and some inventory moved around.
Both men said they expected the job to be done by mid-November.
