LAS VEGAS–The unique sound of Victor Flores’ voice and his friendly smile have become a regular part of Spanish-speaking TV in Las Vegas, writes Las Vegas Sun in a feature article about La Bonita founders.
“He’s employed at La Bonita supermarket, often appearing in commercials for the local grocery chain, which has catered to Hispanic Americans in the Valley for 27 years,” reports Las Vegas Sun. “In 1991, Michoacán natives Jaime and Sylvia Martinez started La Bonita as a simple meat market on the corner of Stewart and Eastern avenues. And despite its growth into six full-scale Las Vegas supermarkets with 750 employees, the couple remains focused on serving the local community.”
“For us, it has always been about hard-work, discipline and a strong family foundation,” Las Vegas Sun quoted Jaime Martinez as saying. “When we see need in underserved areas for our type of supermarket, we look into it, and usually go from there.”
The Martinez couple moved in the 1970s from a small town of 2,000 in the southern Mexican state to Los Angeles. After more than a decade working in hospitality, Jamie and Sylvia came to Las Vegas, where they tapped into their family roots, according to Las Vegas Sun.
Raised on a ranch where his father owned livestock, Jamie opened a meat market to serve the Valley’s growing Hispanic population. He named it after his father’s favorite milking cow in Michoacán, which had light brown-colored polka dots. The name La Bonita in Spanish translates to “the beautiful one.”
Their transition to the valley allowed the couple to avoid the high costs of living and industry competition in California, Jaime Martinez said. The carniceria (meat market) had just five employees when it first opened.
