MANSFIELD — Gigi and Hector Berber weren’t able to celebrate the opening of Tacos and Margaritas in 2021, so celebrating La Mexicana Market with co-owners Erik and Cintia Gutierrez on Friday was emotional.
“We felt alone when we opened Tacos and Margaritas and now I feel like my family’s here,” Gigi Berber said. “When we moved here, we didn’t know anybody. But Mansfield has beautiful people accepting you and blessing you, and I’m so happy here.”
The Berbers live in Mansfield and have opened La Mexicana Market with Gutierrezes, who still live in Columbus.
“If the store really takes off, we’ll definitely want to move to this area,” Erik Gutierrez said.
Erik said his favorite products are the Bimbo pastries.
“I like basically everything we sell in the store,” he said. “But Bimbo is a top-of-the-line product in Mexico and they make really great pastries.”
The owners have been renovating the former insurance office since December and opened the 1329 Lexington Ave. market in April.
“We saw the need in Mansfield for more Hispanic culture,” Gutierrez said. “Eventually, we will bring in more Central and South American products, as well as vegetables and meats.”
At Friday’s ribbon-cutting, county commissioner Cliff Mears said he hasn’t seen many families open multiple businesses on the same street.
“If you stop by the restaurant and find something you like, I heard Gigi is willing to share recipes from the restaurant here at the market,” Mears said.
In addition to its food products, La Mexicana Market also has a program for people to send money to their families in other countries called InterCambio Express.
“Our Hispanic community a lot of times wants to send money back home and there’s a lot of places to do it in Columbus,” Gutierrez said. “There’s a few places here as well, but we wanted to offer a closer place if anyone needs it.”
The market is located across the street from Dulce Amor, which opened Davalos Mercado last week.
“Dulce Amor also opened a grocery store, and we wish them good luck,” Gutierrez said. “The sun shines for everyone.”
La Mexicana Market is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. It will extend its Monday–Saturday hours to 8 p.m. during the summer.
The owners will have Mexican bread from Columbus bakeries on weekend mornings.
The market can be reached at 419-775-7892 or on Facebook. It is located at 1329 Lexington Ave. near the Red Wing Shoe Company.
