The Manhattan Times

Antillana Food Plaza goes organic with second location

by Carla Zanoni

Years ago, Jose Munoc daydreamed of opening his own supermarket while working as a stock boy at a supermarket on W. 185^th Street. His family had immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic and sent him to school near their Washington Heights home. While stocking shelves at the supermarket, now called Mi Pais, Munoc realized that he could make a career out of the supermarket business and hoped to one day open his own store.

Two years ago he fulfilled his dream, opening a store on Nagle Avenue in Inwood. This Wednesday, Munoc took the dream a step further and opened his second store called Antillana Food Plaza, on Broadway between W. 216^th and W. 218^th Streets.

“I saw a great need here and realized it could be great opportunity,” he said referring to the area between Broadway and Inwood Hill Park. “There are a lot of people living in this back section and they don’t have a lot of places to shop for food.”

Munoc has stocked the 5,000-square-foot store with everything from organic rice and fish to organic fruit and vegetables and carries an inventory of organic and eco-friendly cleaners and household items.

Though he has tried to anticipate the needs and desires of his new client base in time for the store’s opening, he has installed a suggestion box near the exit of the store for shoppers to request items and leave ideas for improvements.

“The neighborhood is changing and becoming more upscale and people want higher quality products,” he said. “I am open for people to tell us what they want us to stock for them.”

Rose Fox is a journalist and editor who has lived in the Northern Inwood area Munoc described since 2005. Fox, the daughter of a professional chef, said high quality food is important to her and is excited that a new market is opening so close to home.

“My husband and I are saving money by cooking more, but we still have posh tastes when it comes to organic produce and quality ingredients,” she said, adding that the couple is excited to see other neighborhood shops respond to the competition.

Last week, the C-Town on Broadway and W. 207^th Street completed a renovation of its produce aisle and increased its organic offerings.

“More is better,” she said.

Indeed, many in the area are excited to see new businesses opening that promise to sell high quality products, but some have voiced concern that higher-end may mean higher prices.

Yishane Lee is one such resident. Lee is a writer and parent who has lived near Dyckman Street for five years and has often shopped at the Antillana market on Nagle Street. She said that one of the benefits of Munoc’s other location is the low price for food, but added that she often shops at more expensive grocery stores outside of the neighborhood in order to get better food.

“The Nagle place is popular among friends and me specifically for being cheap and having a great selection, if not always the best quality,” she said. “If he can deliver on quality, I’d be willing to pay more.”

After getting a loan to open a new store in November, Munoc chose the vacant storefront after visiting his family who owns the mechanic shop next door. Although he originally planned to open a neighborhood store much like his market on Nagle, Munoc changed his plan when he saw an increasing number of the clients he once served leaving Inwood in order to find cheaper rent in the Bronx.

“I used to like selling inexpensive things to the people in the neighborhood, but the neighborhood is not the same,” he said. “The clientele has changed, so I have to change with them. People don’t want to go to a cheap store. They want something nicer.”

On Saturday, Munoc plans to have a Mariachi band play outside of the store from 1 p.m. through the afternoon in hopes of attracting new customers and celebrating the grand opening.

“We thought it would be nice for the community to have an event like this,” he said. “We want to keep finding new ways to support the community, like we have in the past by sponsoring a neighborhood Little League team.”

And in return, Munoc hopes the Inwood community will support his business.

CUTLINES

Owner Jose Munoc started in the grocery business stocking shelves, and now owns two grocery stores.

The new Broadway location has an organic twist and caters to customers between Broadway and Inwood Hill Park.

The Manhattan Times is the bilingual newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood.