A person only needs to look around to see the economic development taking place in Marshalltown, and Supermarket Villachuato is part of it.

The new supermarket, located at 107 N. Center St., is owned by the Regalado brothers — Jose Angel, Daniel, Jose Luis, Miguel and Ramon and will employ 50 to 60 people. The $3.64 million building is scheduled to open Thursday and will bring a full grocery store to downtown Marshalltown — along with a deli and ice cream shop.

The construction and opening of Supermarket Villachuato is a dream-come-true for Angel.

“This is the perfect location for the people of Marshalltown,” said Angel’s son, Edgar, who will help manage the store. “He always wanted a bigger grocery store.”

He owned Abarotes Villachueto, at the intersection of North First Avenue and East State Street prior to the 2018 tornado.

“It was very badly damaged,” Edgar said. “Insurance said it was a total loss, so he started looking at other places, but so many buildings were damaged, everyone was desperate. He got an opportunity to buy this property and took advantage of it.”

Construction began in November 2019. After the building was up, parking lot laid and spaces painted, Marshalltown residents began stopping to inquire when the opening would be.

“They are really excited. We are really excited,” Edgar said. “A lot of people stop in daily to ask when we’re going to open.”

Some COVID-19 pandemic rules will be put into place, but Angel said they will not be required.

“We are putting up posters asking people to stay 6 feet apart and asking them to wear their masks,” he said. “We are going to push customers to follow safety protocols. If Hy-Vee and Menards can do it, we can, too. We want people to come in, but we don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable.”

When customers are finally able to enter Supermarket Villachuato, Angel said they will encounter a variety of Hispanic merchandise.

“We will have the most variety,” he said.

The deli and the kitchen will provide different cuts of meat not found in any other location in Marshalltown, along with authentic Mexican cuisine.

“It will be different from the Tex-Mex style,” Angel said. “It will be a lot more authentic.”

“The deli will be one of the biggest impacts on people,” Edgar said.

Angel is very happy to finally see the opening of Supermarket Villachuato.

“We are really happy with the Marshalltown community,” he said. “We are grateful with the community because they have let us expand in business. This is a big opportunity for us. We hope people come and help us with this business. In the future, we can keep going and giving back.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.