HOMEWOOD, Alabama -- Come Friday, Homewood's multicultural community will have access to more than 44,186-square-feet of products to fit their every need.



Mi Pueblo Supermarket, which translates in English to mean "my town," will hold a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony June 26 at its new location—216 Green Springs Highway.



The store, which owner Joel Rivera describes as a "multicultural supermarket with fresh meats and poultry, fresh seafood and fish with products from all over the world," will open in the space of the former Food World location that closed in 2013.



"As soon as customers walk in, they will be greeted with a 'home away from home' feeling," said Orlando Rosa, Operations Manager at La Jefa Radio, which is also owned by Rivera. "Customers will be able to locate products from their native country right here in Alabama."



Rosa said that if there are items customers would like to see but cannot find in the store, Mi Pueblo would be happy to order it.



The store's opening comes six years after Rivera opened the first Homewood Mi Pueblo location at 813 Green Springs Hwy. Soon after it opened, however, the store quickly outgrew its space. High customer volume and requests for specialty products—like fresh tortillas and homemade bread—left Rivera searching for a bigger space.



"We have grown so much that we felt moving our store to a bigger location will help cover the needs of our customers," said Rivera.



When the store opens Friday, it will be the largest Hispanic grocery store in the state, even bigger than the Mi Pueblo location at 3060 Pelham Parkway and its 43,200-square-feet—also built at the site of a former Food World.



Rivera and his wife, Maria, opened the very first Mi Pueblo, a 10,000-squre-foot storefront in Pelham, after the couple moved from Texas and found it hard to shop for Mexican products in Alabama. When they outgrew that space, they moved to the still-thriving Pelham location.

Maria Rivera chops fajita meat for tacos in the deli (News Staff Photo/Frank Couch)

Now, there are plans to open a third location on U.S. Highway 280.



"A supermarket is a necessity in any culture," said Rosa, "and when you can find things specific to your culture in a store, it makes shopping there more attractive."



Despite the supermarket's name, Rivera and Rosa said they don't want potential customers to shy away: Mi Pueblo Supermarket will carry not only Mexican products, but will also have products from the United States, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, Jamaica, India, Puerto Rico and Columbia.



The store, like in the original Pelham location, will be designed to feature items from each country in specially designated sections. Flags from each country will line the isles and help direct shoppers toward their favorite treats from home.



Along with countless aisles of products, the store will also feature 2,500 square-feet of space designated to serve as a restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a sit-in buffet or take-out option. Customers will be able to purchase fresh fruit, pan de dulce (sweet bread) and bakery items along with hand-made tortillas and household products.

The grand opening of the new Mi Pueblo Supermarket location will be held at 12 p.m.

Refer back to AL.com tomorrow for a look at the new Homewood location.



For more Homewood news, click here.



To read more articles by reporter Ana Rodriguez, who covers the cities of Mountain Brook, Homewood and Vestavia Hills, click here to access her author page.