A new Walmart Neighborhood Market that opened this week in the heart of Sherman Heights, had a community open house and media tour last week.

Located in the building of what used to be the farmers’ market, on Imperial Ave., this will be the first Walmart Neighborhood Market in the City of San Diego.

The new store will be about 42,000 square feet –about a third of a traditional Walmart store –and will feature a wide variety of products and services, including fresh produce, meats, and bakery. A service that will definitely have a positive impact in this community is the pharmacy, said Store Manager Luciano Villela.

“We’re very excited to serve this community,” said Villela, who started working at the age of 16 pushing carts at a Chula Vista Walmart. “Basically a Walmart Neighborhood Market is a smaller store than a typical Walmart. It’s a typical grocery store.”

Aaron Rios, spokesperson for Walmart, said that “the main difference between a Neighborhood Store and a general Walmart Supercenter or store is that the neighborhood market has what you need, and the supercenter has what you need and what you want.”

The new store will create 65 new jobs, Villela added.

Early last year there was some controversy. Some community members said that it was a shame that a corporation like Walmart was going to take over a building with a long history in Sherman Heights such as the farmers’ market building.

But Rios said that the new Walmart will try to bring back the fiesta atmosphere that was present in the past.

“We want to bring back what the farmers’ market used to be: A gathering place for families to enjoy shopping together,” he said.

As part of this effort, Walmart removed an old mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe to have it restored, and will be placed back on the building.

Retired priest Father Richard Brown will then do a blessing of the mural. He said that the new Walmart Neighborhood Market “is welcome news for area residents.”

Walmart is still working with the city to finalize the necessary permits, and Rios said the store would open “hopefully in a few very short days.”

The only other supermarket in this area is a few blocks away in Barrio Logan, the Northgate Gonzalez Market located in the recently created Mercado del Barrio complex.

Long-time Sherman Heights resident, Ramona Rodriguez, said that she will save a lot of money in her grocery shopping thanks to the new Walmart Neighborhood Market.

“We’re excited about a Walmart Neighborhood Market coming to our community,” she said. “The new store will bring lower prices on groceries, a much needed pharmacy and opportunities for jobs in our community. I’m looking forward to shopping there.”

The store is located at 2121 Imperial Ave., next to an Auto Zone, between 21st and 22nd streets.

This is the second Walmart Neighbordhood Market in the county, the first one having opened in La Mesa, and another one in the works for Oceanside.

To learn more about the new Walmart Neightborhood Market in Sherman Heights, please visit www.walmartsandiego. com.