Category Archives: Retail

Young Entrepreneur Building Presence

Nayelli Valdemar is a one-woman shop for now, a young mother who has aligned her personal values with a passion to run “a business I know inside out.” Only 25, with the energy of a budding entrepreneur, Valdemar embodies her motto, uno solo puede. “One can do it” is a general translation and is reflective of the work ethic demonstrated recently at her Funky Flower Shop in Mercedes, just a…

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Reading Turtle Offers Break From Online World

The number of independent bookstores like The Reading Turtle are on the rise in the United States.

Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda is known for making the rounds of her city and dropping in on locally-owned small businesses. In mid-January, she made such a visit to The Reading Turtle. In the mayor’s words, it’s “a cozy bookstore” and where she made a pact with her young son. “I’ve made a deal with my son,” Sepulveda wrote on her Harlingen mayor Facebook page. “Every time he completes a book,…

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Businessman Supports ‘Habit’ With New Store

Insurance agent Roel Villanueva goes `big' with a new fireworks store in Mercedes.

Roel Villanueva was enthralled with fireworks as a boy growing up in Mercedes. The Mexican-style palomas were his favorites, the triangle shaped firework known for packing a punch with their concentrated amounts of gunpowder and being loud enough to trigger car alarms in neighborhoods. Villanueva was just shy of 10 years of age when he didn’t flee the scene fast enough from a paloma ready to go off. It went…

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Donna Store Offers New Candy Twist

Juanita Sanchez and her two daughters, Sarai and Dinah, offer a wide range of freeze-dried candies at their Donna store.

It was an idea whose origins came from social media.  Dinah Sanchez saw on TikTok where the sweet novelty of freeze-dried candy was garnering a considerable amount of attention and viewer numbers. She was intrigued by the concept of candy in freeze dried form. How does it taste? What is its texture? A further look around revealed there was almost none of this sort of product in the Rio Grande…

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Villita Avocados Makes U.S. Produce History

Villita Avocados Inc.

This week, avocado grower and distributor Villita Avocados Inc. in Pharr is making history in the produce industry, fulfilling orders utilizing specially made mesh produce bags that are 100 percent compostable.  “We will be the first avocado company to come out with a 100 percent compostable, 100 percent plastic-free avocado bag in North America,” said Rob Ybarra, executive vice president of Villita. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United…

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La Plaza Adds New Retailers

STEPS New York is one of five retailers which recently opened at La Plaza Mall, just in time for the holiday shopping season. (Photo La Plaza Mall)

La Plaza Mall has recently added Mango, TOUS, Abercrombie & Fitch, Steps New York and Perfume Gallery to its lineup of retailers. In addition, MINISO will open later this year.  Mango is a worldwide women’s fashion chain from Barcelona, Spain, delivering Mediterranean culture and style. Mango focuses on fashion trends, attention to detail, and efficiency. Located across from JD Sports, Rio Grande Valley area shoppers will find at the retailer…

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Academy Opens New Store in Harlingen

Academy Sports + Outdoors

Academy Sports + Outdoors opens its first store in Harlingen in Harlingen today at 2833 West Expressway 83. The nearly 60,000-square-foot store brings a wide assortment of sports and outdoors merchandise to the area. Academy plans to continue its expansion efforts with the goal of opening a total of 120 to 140 new stores by the end of 2027. Academy will host grand opening festivities today through Nov. 19. Throughout…

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Nicho’s Keeps Its Word & Sees Growth

At 2 a.m., the first trucks are leaving and on their way to Laredo, Alice and Corpus Christi. They are filled with all varieties of fruits and vegetables that have made their way to Nicho Produce in Edinburg from California, Mexico and origins further south. The skies are seeing the first glimmers of light when the remainder of the 30-plus truck fleet is leaving Nicho’s just off north Closner. Those…

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New Shopping Center Coming to Sharyland

Domain Development has announced its latest venture in Sharyland, Shary Town Plaza. The shopping center spans over 24,000 square feet, housed within two buildings. Situated across the street from La Fogata and the Mission Event Center, Domain Development considers this high-traffic area “the perfect place” to plant its next commercial development. This specific location is shadow-anchored by various high-traffic retailers such as HEB, Ross, Target, Home Depot and other highly…

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Henry’s Adjusts & Stays Local In Harlingen

Jay Garza as a freshly minted Texas A&M University graduate relocated to California to chase his big-city dreams. Living in San Francesco, Perez worked in human resources operations for Gap Inc. at its corporate headquarters. There were aspects of the West Coast life he enjoyed, but long, traffic-filled commutes became tiresome, and his family in Harlingen beckoned. His father, Henry, a small business owner in Harlingen, was perplexed why his…

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