By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - It's said variety is the spice of life. Well, if that be the case, Niles has a little bit more flavor in the downtown area.
Although his store has been open for about a month, Eduardo Rosales celebrated the grand opening of Rosales Super Market in Riverfront Square, 60 E. Main St., in downtown Niles Friday.
The store, Rosales' fourth and his first outside Indiana, features many Hispanic products, such as tomatillos, Mexican sausage and Mexican soda, as well as a variety of many nonethnic foods and products.
A Mexican flag hangs next to an American one in the new store, symbolic of Rosales' past in Mexico and his current life in the United States.
Rosales, who was born in Mexico, moved to the Chicago area in 1985 and began working in a gorcery store owned by his cousin. In 1993, Rosales branched off on his own when he put a $7,000 down payment on his own store in East Chicago, Ind.
Rosales, who operates all his stores with his wife, Rebecca, has come a long way since that grocery store in East Chicago. Rosales said his first store was about 24 feet by 40 feet. The Niles store, Rosale's largest, is approximately 11,000 sq. ft.
In 1996, Rosales bought the first of his two South Bend stores. He added his Elkhart location in 1999 and his second store in South Bend in 2002.
Rosales said he and his wife plan to open a restaurant in the gorcery store within the next few months. The restaurant will serve authentic Mexican food, but Rosales said it will also a variety of nonethnic meals as well.
Rosales opened the Niles store after many customers at his other stores, many of them from the Niles area, encouraged him to explore Niles as a spot for expansion.
State Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, and State Rep. Neal Nitz, R-Baroda, were among those in attendance at the grand opening, which was put on by the Four Flags Chamber of Commerce.
Jelinek praised Rosales for breaking the trend of supermarkets being located on the outer fringes of the city. Jelinek said having a supermarket in downtown Niles would help to stimulate the local economy.
The grand opening for the store was the 35th ceremony the chamber of commerce had organized in 2004.
Chamber President and CEO Ron Sather said the opening of the store was sign that Niles is continuing its trend of new businesses moving to the area to open shop.
Eduardo said he and Rebecca thanked everyone in attendance and said they were excited to have the store in Niles open.