This is a big week for a pair of local small businesses.
Wednesday marks the official grand opening of the El Rio Bravo supermarket at 1324 Industrial Road. The event begins at 10 am.
El Rio Bravo will be geared towards the local Hispanic community once it opens with a meat market, bakery, produce and desserts. It fills the space vacated by Aldi when it moved to 24th and Industrial in 2018.
Friday has the grand opening of Middle Ground Books at 606 Commercial. The independently-owned bookstore fills a niche left open by the closures of Ellen Plumb’s Bookstore in 2020 and Town Crier in 2015.
Meanwhile, an established area business is getting some national recognition. Olpe Chicken House is being featured on America’s Best Restaurants at a date to be announced. The Chicken House has been operating since the late 1950s and has developed a devoted area and regional customer base.
This follows The Sweet Granada’s strong showing in the USA TODAY 10Best Candy Store competition over the last month. The Sweet Granada was atop the leaderboard before standings were taken offline. Winners will be announced Wednesday.
