Monterrey Market, Angry Taco owner keeps looking ahead
Robert Montemayor’s store is neighborhood fixture and now he’s opening a new, much bigger one
The seeds for a large new Hispanic grocery store planned for South 27th Street were planted back in 2008, with a smaller neighborhood market that nearly didn’t get off the ground due to the Great Recession. ❚ The new store, Monterrey Market Plaza, will occupy a former Toys R Us store at 3920 S. 27th St. It’s the latest venture by Robert Montemayor, who also moved into the restaurant business after successfully weathering the downturn with his Monterrey Market grocery store.
The new store is 38,000 square feet, more than four times the size of the store that Montemayor opened about a decade ago at 3014 S. 13th St. The closed toy store was sold in May for $2.65 million to Montemayor’s group, Monte Enterprises LLC.
The new store will employ nearly 100 people by the time it opens late this year or in early 2020, the majority of team members being full-time.
The growth of Montemayor’s businesses began slowly, starting with the Monterrey Market. Montemayor said the store nearly didn’t open.
“We had a really difficult time trying to get our financing,” Montemayor said. “We were in the middle of the recession . ... But we had one bank that believed in our project.”
Montemayor purchased the building that would become Monterrey Market in 2008 after selling his share of a different supermarket and spending a few years dipping his toes in real estate.
What he didn’t anticipate was the onset of the Great Recession and the collapse of the real estate market. Monterrey Market didn’t open until nearly two years after Montemayor bought the building.
Jeff Musa is the banker and adviser who helped Montemayor get the new store launched.
“I’ve been like a third-party adviser with regards to helping him plan and grow and strategize for opportunities moving forward,” Musa said. “It’s really one of those things where you have to sit down and peel back the onion.”
Musa is with People’s State Bank now but was with PNC Bank at the time.
Montemayor said this big purchase is not the last for him. After the new store is settled and bringing in steady business, there will be more to do, more to look forward to. It’s just a matter of working with your team to get it done, he said.
“You always have to have, in the back of your mind, ideas for where you see your company (going),” Montemayor said. “I ask myself every day, I ask my management team, ‘Alright, we know where we’re at right now ... so where do we see ourselves a year from now?’ ”
‘Community grocery store’
One thing Montemayor prides himself on is that Monterrey Market has become a neighborhood fixture on South 13th Street.
He says he’s seen generations of families come through the store since it opened. Parents brought their kids in with them to shop, and now those same kids are adults and teens shopping for themselves.
Eventually, he said, they will bring their kids into the store with them, and the generations will continue.
“We have become that community grocery store for the area,” he said.
He and his wife serve as co-owners of the store, which started with 14 employees and now has nearly 50.
Montemayor says he doesn’t like the word employees, though, opting for “team member,” or simply “extended family.”
“Everyone who comes through the door and receives a check from us is extended family,” Montemayor said. “Employees, I don’t care very much for the word.”
Banker Musa grew up on the south side of Milwaukee, where he was familiar with other popular Hispanic grocery stores in the area like El Rey, which has five locations across the south side.
Montemayor approaches business with a sense of commitment and a “farreaching grasp,” Musa said.
“He’s investing in the people, investing in their families,” he said. “He is definitely a big name in the market . ... Everybody I bring up the store to in random conversations knows about it, has been there and has positive things to say about it.”
Beyond his own business ventures, Montemayor also serves the community.
He’s the board chair of the business improvement district of the Crisol Corridor centered on South 13th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue, and serves on the board of the BID surrounding Mitchell International Airport.
Montemayor also serves on the board of the St. Josephat Basilica Foundation.
He said he gives back to the community by helping other local businesses renovate, create their own websites and take other steps to get into the market. He also hosts health clinics at Monterrey Market for blood drives and vaccinations.
“Ultimately, I’m out there providing a service,” Montemayor said. “You have a bond with the neighborhood.”
While Montemayor is a client first, Musa said he’s also a friend — one for whom he has deep respect. He said Montemayor has an extensive support system through his family and his employees, and for good reason.
“Robert and his wife are uber-dedicated to what they do,” he said. “Just looking at the small square footage they currently operate ... it’s just phenomenal. It’s a testament to them doing it the right way and really caring about their customers.”
Montemayor said it’s essential to surround yourself with “smart and positive people” if you want to succeed.
“If you surround yourself with negative people, you’re going to have a really bad day,” he said. “Go out there really believing in your project, your goals and what you want to have.”