The Port Washington Chamber of Commerce welcomed La Placita, a supermarket that offers a variety of products from Central and South America, fresh produce, a deli counter, a meat department and other products to meet the grocery needs of the community, with a grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting on Feb. 9. The store is owned by Albertson residents, father and son team Felix Diaz and Felix “Justin” Diaz Jr.
“We saw that there were a couple big corporation stores over here like Stop and Shop and we wanted to offer something more personal, give people better customer service, an experience that I would like when I go to a store and I saw that was lacking here,” said co-owner Diaz Jr. “I’m close. I’m from Albertson and we have one of those stores over there and I thought I could offer something similar over here because people needed that. We could target the Hispanic community and all markets. We’re looking forward to serving the community here.”
The outside of La Placita is quite deceiving as upon walking into the store, one is met with a large, bright space. The meat department carries a variety of proteins from chicken legs and pork chops to oxtail, pig’s feet and beef tripe. La Placita offers fruits and vegetables originating from countries like Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, Ecuador and more.
La Placita owners a certificate of recognition.
To differentiate where each product is made, La Placita adds the respective flags near the products throughout the store. International grocery items include bottled marinades and sauces, Maseca corn flour, dried Peruvian potatoes, piloncillo (Mexican sugar) and Mexican bread made fresh daily. Diaz Jr. explained that La Placita offers a wide variety of products from Central and South America and Peru including many companies’ versions of a product and subproduct categories like a variety of fla
La Placita owners a certificate of recognition.
vors.
“I think we’re going to have a very good impact,” said Diaz Jr. “The experience here is like no other place. We’re going to help you. You can ask us any questions. It’s more personal. We’re almost like a family. That’s how we picture it. The feedback has been good so far. We need to learn specifically what people want here because we have experience in Glen Cove but every town is different so we’re still learning our specific market and what we can give to them that no one else has.”
Diaz Jr. recognizes that La Placita’s parking situation is tough, but he hopes that customers will be able to park in front of the supermarket, stating, “we want to coexist. It’s very important to us. We came here like a family. We don’t want to disrupt anyone else.”
La Placita has two other locations in New Rochelle and Glen Cove, which Diaz Jr.’s sister and brother-in-law run.
“We’re a very close family and that’s why we think we can offer a great experience to everyone else because we are very close,” said Diaz Jr. “We basically see each other every day and we don’t argue. I know that’s a big thing in business, but our family is good. It’s a great experience working with them. I love it.”
La Placita is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 152 Shore Rd., Port Washington.
