LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — After 35 years of serving the Cardinal Valley neighborhood, La Unica Mexican Grocery will close its doors this week when the lease agreement expires.
Owner Juan Esparza and his family opened the store decades ago. What started as a small grocery store became a cornerstone of the neighborhood, with customers becoming like extended family.
"We started our business without knowing about business. There was nothing over here, no taco place, no tortillas, nothing for our community," Esparza said.
The idea came to him while passing through the area when he spotted an opportunity to serve his community.
"I said, man, what about this spot. What if I open up a little grocery store right here at this spot?" Esparza said.
The decision transformed both his family's life and the Cardinal Valley neighborhood—the business connected with residents immediately, creating relationships that went far beyond typical customer service.
"Customers are like family. They have been with us for so long," Esparza said.
Those relationships ran deep, with customers helping care for his children during busy periods.
"They used to come in and sit down to talk to us, talk to her, talk to my daughter, take care of my kids. When they were little, and we got busy. Customers used to come in and babysit my daughter, so we can keep on working," Esparza said.
La Unica survived major challenges, including the real estate crash and COVID-19, as Cardinal Valley grew around it. However, with their lease not being renewed, the Esparza family must now consider their next chapter.
"35 years, we never thought about what's next or other opportunities. By now, it's what's next for the family because it involves everybody," Esparza said.
As the family prepares for their final sale, they're taking only memories with them. Maria Prieto, Esparza's wife, reflected on the emotional impact of the closure.
"All the memories are going to be out the door," Prieto said.
For Esparza, losing the store means losing the extended family he built over three and a half decades.
"Everything got to be clean, nothing on the wall, nothing," Esparza said.
