SAN JOSE — A family-run Mexican market intends to open a store in San Jose at the site of a 99 Cents Only outlet on a busy street between the city’s downtown and its big shopping and restaurant hubs.
La Plaza Market has filed a proposal that would enable the company to open a mercado at 1915 West San Carlos Street in San Jose, according to documents on file with city planners.
1915 West San Carlos Street, a retail building in San Jose, seen in a July 2024 image capture. (Google Maps)
“We at La Plaza Market are very proud to announce that we continue growing by opening our 6th store in the chain and our 4th store in the city of San Jose,” the supermarket company stated in a document it filed with the city.
The retailer is seeking approval for a conditional use permit to sell beer and wine at the store in San Jose.
In April, 99 Cents Only Stores said it had decided to shut all 371 of its stores, marking an implosion for a chain founded 42 years ago in 1982. Hundreds of retail sites in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas thereby became available.
One of these locations was the 99 Cents store at the corner of West San Carlos and Brooklyn Avenue.
“At La Plaza, we are open for business every day of the year,” the grocery chain stated in its filing with the city. “We are open daily and from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and the off-sale of alcohol would be the same.”
The retailer also expects to create dozens of jobs at the new store.
“We plan to hire about 35 employees, mostly full-time, split between two shifts,” La Plaza officials stated in the filing.
The proposal states that the building La Plaza Market is eyeing totals about 14,000 square feet and is a single-story structure with a large parking lot.
No physical changes are expected to the exterior of the building or the outside area of the site, according to the proposal.
The La Plaza Market is expected to include produce cases, a fruit and salad section, a meat section, banana tables, spice racks, multiple grocery coolers, a produce cooler, a grocery freezer and a reach-in freezer, as well as beer and wine sections, the city documents show.
The time frame for opening the store wasn’t immediately known. This news organization attempted to contact Juvenal Chavez, president of La Plaza Market, by phone, email and text to request a comment.
At present, an Oklahoma-based entity operating by the name 99 Cents PropCo owns the 1915 West San Carlos Street property, which totals 0.9 acres, Santa Clara County real estate records show.
“Our customers and neighbors deserve the best customer experience,” La Plaza officials stated in the filing. “Part of that experience is to keep and maintain a nice and clean environment free of overgrown vegetation, trash, litter and graffiti.”
The supermarket company’s website states that its existing five stores include three in San Jose, one in Mountain View and one in the San Joaquin County city of Tracy.
La Plaza Market executives stated that the retailer intends to benefit the community in an array of ways when it opens the new store.
“We believe that we are not only serving our customers but serving our neighbors,” La Plaza Market stated in the filing. “We will engage community organizations and neighborhood leaders to address neighborhood concerns.”
