The Aurora City Council has created a package liquor license for the El Paso Mas Grande grocery store set to open on the far West Side.
Aldermen recently agreed to create the Class A license for the store, which is due to have its grand opening on Oct. 12.
Ald. Michael Saville, 6th Ward, said the city will have a ribbon-cutting for the store on Oct. 9.
The Rodriguez family will open the store in a former Aldi’s store that has been closed for a while in a plaza along Galena Boulevard on the far West Side.
The family also owns two El Paso Grande Super Mercado locations on the East Side.
The family has invested upward of $3.4 million on the store, but they had issues getting it open.
Among those issues were the coronavirus pandemic, a fire in one of their East Side stores, roof damage at the planned West Side location and a vendor that, after being paid around $500,000, did not deliver promised equipment, officials said.
While the company has been able to stay afloat despite those issues, it lacked the cash it needed to get the proposed West Side location open.
In July, the City Council approved a $325,000 forgivable loan to help the store open.
While the City Council creates space for a liquor license in the city’s ordinances, the city’s liquor commissioner – which is the mayor – actually issues the license.
slord@tribpub.com
