FITCHBURG — When Ildefonso Guzman and his family moved from El Salvador to the city about a year ago, he was disheartened to find there weren’t any local markets stocked with the fruits, vegetables, or baked goods he grew up with.
“We never found anything, and it was hard to make meals without the food from my country,” Guzman said.
After making dozens of trips to Chelsea and other distant towns for groceries, Guzman thought it was time to bring a piece of El Salvador to Fitchburg — and he did.
On Saturday, June 27, Guzman and his wife Carmen officially opened Market Mi Rinconcito Salvadoreño at 444 Main St., the former home to Shack’s Fine Clothing.
The historic clothing store sat vacant after closing nearly two years ago and now the portion of the building used to sell women’s clothing is home to the Guzmans’ business.
“It just made sense for us to open the store, so we can sell special foods from my country,” Carmen Guzman said. “We just missed El Salvador so much.”
During the grand opening, Ildefonso Guzman said residents were excited to welcome the business and happy they’d no longer have to drive over an hour to pick up milk or bread.
He imports dozens of products from El Salvador, including various cheeses or milk, pastries, snacks, fruits, and spices.
For example, he stocks items such as riguas de elote (corn cakes), marañones congelados (frozen cashew apples), pastelitos de piña (pineapple pastries), and much more.
“A lot of these things you can find only in El Salvador, so we wanted to bring it here,” he said. “Many people from my country are coming here and looking for homes near here. We think it’s the right time for the store.”
Guzman said he’s talked with many customers and hopes to grow the shop to include more items from different countries.
While the food is special to him, Guzman also thought it would be smart to diversify his wares and also sells electronics, clothing, paper goods, and books. Customers can also request custom shirts or mugs with specific designs or messages, he said.
“We hope to sell a little bit of everything,” he said.
For residents interested in connecting with family and friends from other countries, the market also offers money transfers and to send parcels to El Salvador.
Mayor Stephen DiNatale said he’s excited that a new business is opening its doors and looks forward to trying some Salvadoran pastries.
“We couldn’t be happier,” DiNatale. “It’s great to see a storefront being occupied and I like the idea that it’s a market, it’s something that’s certainly missing on Main Street.”
DiNatale said the market opening its doors was a good sign for the growth of downtown, even with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You wouldn’t expect anything of this nature to be happening now, which adds even greater significance,” he said. “A real welcome addition to Main Street.”
The market will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and will be closed on Sunday. It will soon accept EBT and debit cards.
Guzman asks that residents wear face masks when entering the building and hand sanitizer will be available to customers.
