LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Mario's Westside Market on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Lake Mead Blvd has been serving Las Vegas residents for nearly three decades.
Some locals, like Antoinette Wilson, remember shopping at the market since they were a child. Wilson says she grew up just minutes away on Carey and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and would often walk to the store when she was young. To this day, Wilson says she still shops at Mario's.
"It's very convenient for me — especially if you don't want to eat fast food, and just want to... get lunch meat or hot food," Wilson said. "It's right here."
Many residents of Las Vegas's Historic Westside rely on Mario's for hot meals, canned goods, meat, and fresh produce. The market sees about 1,500 customers a day.
Now, with the help of a $1 million grant from the city, the grocery store is moving next door into a larger building to serve even more people.
Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear says that 25 percent of the population in Ward 5 — which he represents — reside in "a food desert." A food desert refers to an area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.
Crear says a major part of the Historic Westside's struggle is access to fresh and affordable food, which city officials have attempted to fix by expanding the market.
"We need a quality market in our community and what better partner for us to work with to get him into that bigger market," Crear said.
Owners Mario Berlanga and Bill O'Connor say when they first opened the store in 1997, they never imagined the impact and benefit it would bring the entire community.
"We're not going anywhere. We could've moved places, but this is where we want to be and it has been good for us. We are going to be here for a long time," Berlanga said.
The owners credit the store's long-running success completely to the community and expect to be in the larger, refurbished building in about 6 months.
