Market focus
Hispanic supermarket is first of two planned for city
Hispanic supermarket is first of two planned for city

By Trisha Evans
Published: November 8, 2007

When El Mariachi Supermercado opens next month, it probably will be the only place in Oklahoma where one can buy pickled cactus, pick out a pinata and visit the doctor's office all in one stop.
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The full-size grocery store and in-store clinic and pharmacy at 415 SW 59 will open Nov. 21. It will be the first of at least two Hispanic grocery stores owner Kun Won "Terry” Yu will open in Oklahoma City.

Yu's company, Terry's Supermarkets, operates nine Hispanic grocery stores and a 100,000-square-foot distribution center in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

He said expanding into Oklahoma City was a practical move because the Hispanic grocery market here is underserved.

"There are many small stores,” Yu said. "Even though there are many Hispanic stores, there's no one that gives Hispanics (all) they need. We furnish what they need and want.”

The store will include some American products but most will be products that include labels in Spanish.

Yu bought the failing Jerry's Supermarket 12 years ago. "I invested by mistake in the supermarket business. I thought it was very easy to operate, but it's very hard to operate,” he said. "The margins are very slim.”

Since then, however, he's learned how to make the stores profitable by serving his customers.

Cash-strapped, Yu could only afford to change one letter in the supermarket's logo. So Jerry's Supermarket became Terry's.

"Then my nickname is Terry. We grew to five and six stores and everybody knew me as Terry,” Yu said.

He has purchased a vacant grocery store at NW 16 and Drexel where he plans to open a second store in April or May.

Store operations director Rick Claus said the stores will focus on meat and produce — two categories very important to the Hispanic customer.

"That's the staple behind their meal,” Claus said. "They're not like typical shoppers. A lot of these women shop five or seven days a week. They come here and they'll buy three pounds of Roma tomatoes, and they'll use them that same day.”

About 40 percent of the store will be devoted to meat and produce, while the frozen food section will be lean.

The store will sell aisles of Hispanic goods, including spices, candies, cookies, sodas, laundry detergents and health and beauty products.

"We'll be competitive and offer people who are not Hispanic great prices on produce and meat,” Claus said.

The store also will sell a variety of products from Central America, Mexico and South America, merchandising director John Miller said.

"Hispanic people buy a lot of their products on brand recognition. They're very loyal customers, and we're trying to give them what they recognize,” he said.

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Comments

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If the illegals have another boycott, this guy could be in a real hurt. When they had their boycott before, one Los Angeles supermarket chain had a 67 percent reduction in food stamp reciepts for that day. That could really hurt some guy selling Mexican groceries. At least the tax collector wouldn't see a big change, since they don't pay tax on wic and food stamp sales. Is this guy going to accept pesos?
howard, Oklahoma City - Nov 9, 2007 5:28 PM
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Oh ok i am with ya.
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 9, 2007 4:29 PM
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Bobby, I just meant that I was hoping it would clear out the Wal-Mart stores so that I could shop there.
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Nov 9, 2007 3:44 PM
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Whoa There Bobby, I have no plans to ever set foot in this store !!!! I keep my dog in the house.
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Nov 9, 2007 3:43 PM
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Right on Howard !!
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 9, 2007 2:26 PM
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They had better accept food stamps. I really appreciate this store??? being here. That way maybe I won't have to wait behind some illegal with a cart full of prpared food, she's paying for with the food stamps, or wic food order my taxes paid for. I for one like the idea.
howard, Oklahoma City - Nov 9, 2007 2:20 PM
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No Bobby, I am not Mexican as far as I know I am a mixture of English, Irish,Scottish, Indian just a heinz 57 .
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Nov 9, 2007 11:48 AM
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You Mexican Robin?
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 9, 2007 8:43 AM
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Wal-Mart will be devistated to find this out as they have planned medical Clinics in 4,000 stores & they do not even have that many stores yet! Personally I am glad that this store is going up , now I might be able to get into the grocery store without a battle down every isle & 75 running wild kid's .
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Nov 9, 2007 8:21 AM
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they are real
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 9, 2007 7:12 AM
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I'm trying to tell whether or not Bobby is being sarcastic, because the words seem too ridiculous to be true sentiment.
Shane, Norman - Nov 8, 2007 4:55 PM
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Cosmopolitan? What load of crapola is that? We do not want to be and will NOT be a "Cosmopolitan City" makes me puke to think about. We want and need to ba a good southern ole fashion city, none of this new fangled crapola thats going around now. Brings things back the way they used to be in the good ole USofA!! It's what the american people want they dont want all this flim flam stuff in our country. your either a true american who flies the American flag speaks the ANERICAN Language only and does things the American way, thats what the american people want. We only need 1 kind of greocery store that sells Amerian products with english on the store front and up and down the aisles. Take down your mexican barbershop Estitica signs and hang out an american sign that reads Barber Shop thats what the american people want. Listen to american music you want spanish music and spanish radio go back to mexico where that is your music and your television, when you cross the border into the good ole USofA you need to be an american thats what the american people want. Thank you and good night.
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 4:01 PM
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Cosmopolitan? What load of crapola is that? We do not want to be and will NOT be a "Cosmopolitan City" makes me puke to think about. We want and need to ba a good southern ole fashion city, none of this new fangled crapola thats going around now. Brings things back the way they used to be in the good ole USofA!! It's what the american people want they dont want all this flim flam stuff in our country. your either a true american who flies the American flag speaks the ANERICAN Language only and does things the American way, thats what the american people want. We only need 1 kind of greocery store that sells Amerian products with english on the store front and up and down the aisles. Take down your mexican barbershop Estitica signs and hang out an american sign that reads Barber Shop thats what the american people want. Listen to american music you want spanish music and spanish radio go back to mexico where that is your music and your television, when you cross the border into the good ole USofA you need to be an american thats what the american people want. Thank you and good night.
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 4:00 PM
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I am amazed that some people don't realize what a good thing this is for our city. We are becoming more and more cosmopolitan. OKC used to be pretty, well, white bread, but now, we becoming more of a world city. That's one of the big reasons we are outpacing Tulsa.
Lynn, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 11:43 AM
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Maybe they can build a store for you racists. You know, where you can buy your white sheets and super flammable crosses-!
Miguel, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 11:40 AM
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An Asian owning a Hispanic grocery store is ironic as American goods being made in Mexico.
Brett, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 11:16 AM
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The news media leads us to believe that H.B. 1804 is running all of the Hispanics out of the state. If that is true, then who is going to be shopping at that store. Lies and more lies!!!!!!
Glenna, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 11:07 AM
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Just more pandering. However, most people around the country are sick of it. Check out some of those election results lately - Hazelton, PA and so on. Slow and steady movement back to reality. Seems like every story printed in newspapers is propaganda or agenda, rather than news.
J.T.(I), Norman - Nov 8, 2007 10:38 AM
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Are we in the United States or are we now in Mexico? Last i heard this was the good ole USofA and we dont need any stinkin mexico products in our stores here. Let em book a tour on Zavalia Tours and go to there country to get there stuff. Lets keep it american people.
Bobby, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 10:03 AM
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I think you guys missed the point. She's not saying this is the first mexican grociery store in the state. She would have to be blind to think that. On the other hand she does seem to be claiming this is the first mexican grociery store where you can go to the doctor while getting some tomatoes, kind of the "wal-mart supercenter" of mexican grocieries.
jim, del city - Nov 8, 2007 9:54 AM
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I agree Marc, the Oklahoman gets weaker reporting by the day. It makes me sick. This is a very lazy story that belongs in a high school newspaper. You can get all the items Trisha mentioned (cactus, pinata, etc.)at a Buy For Less. The Hispanic population is a large segment of OKC and there are numerous hispanic supermarkets, too many to list in fact. Ever drive over in Capitol Hill or Stockyards City? How about down SW 59th or S. Western?
downtown, Oklahoma City - Nov 8, 2007 8:45 AM
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Story by Trisha Evans is another example of lazy reporting. Hispanics are plentiful in various sections of Oklahoma and so are foodstuffs from Mexico. Most grocery stores in areas with Hispanic populations have the items you mentioned. Furthermore just across the state line in Liberal, ks you can find a Hispanic grocery store, El Mercado, that is reportedly in a financial crisis. Your story was just ilke my grade school teacher indicated, it was written for someone with an eighth grade education or below.
Marc, Hooker - Nov 8, 2007 7:39 AM
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