OXNARD : La Gloria Market Gets a Fresh Start

For nearly a month, Dulce Gonzalez was unable to obtain a vital ingredient for her tamales because the market near her home was closed.

“Hoja de platano ,” the 44-year-old Oxnard woman said as she lifted the wet, blanket-sized banana leaves used to wrap tamales.

But Gonzalez, who was out shopping Friday, no longer has to worry because La Gloria Market has reopened. The doors to the Oxnard Boulevard store had been bolted shut for most of November until new owners took over, working day and night to open the store by Nov. 29.

Many from the neighborhood had shopped at La Gloria when it was operated by the store’s previous owner who, in November, was ordered by the court to clear out after not paying $20,000 in back rent. The same owner also was hit last year with the biggest fine ever imposed on a Ventura County business for employing undocumented immigrants--$60,200.

New La Gloria co-owner Carlos Alcala of Whittier said he wants a fresh start. He is not associated with the previous store operators.

“I always dreamed of doing something like this,” Alcala said, standing in front of the counter that serves up burritos, tortas , tacos, flan, champurrado and other traditional delicacies.

Mariachi music pumping out of speakers above his head, Alcala stood looking at the growing line of customers, all ages and sizes, their arms full of plastic bags of tomatillos , Mexican laundry soap, corn tortillas made on site and a variety of Mexican herbs and spices.

“I worked in my father’s business which made dairy products,” Alcala said. “It brings me great pride to provide the local Mexican community with the traditional foods.”

In addition to the grocery store, the old La Gloria ran other businesses in a small warehouse at the back of the building, including a post office, a check-cashing center, a dairy where fresh milk and cheese were served and a jewelry center.

“I want to have all that up and running in a month and a half,” Alcala said.

The Alcalas and partners, Marcelo, Armita and Frank Martinez of Whittier envision an atmosphere like Los Angeles’ famed Olvera Street.