Moses Lake grocery store

MOSES LAKE — Several leaders in the Moses Lake community got their first look at the city's newest grocery store Tuesday evening.

Lep-Re-Kon Harvest Foods, located at 2709 W. Broadway Ave., opened Wednesday morning.

Owners Joe Montemayor and his family welcomed friends and people who assisted in the new store's opening at a special ceremony the night before the store's opening.

"It's to let the people who helped us build this come in and see it," Montemayor said. "Everybody who had something to do with us putting the store on this side of town, we'd like to thank them."

Montemayor said he has lived in the Columbia Basin all his life. His family also owns locations in Othello, Mattawa and Connell.

"It's a little tense, but it's all good," Montemayor said Tuesday evening. "It's a little tense because it's all come to a point where it's ready to open and you just don't know what it's going to be until tomorrow. We have a lot of new help, we've trained them and we're going to execute what they've learned in the next couple days, see how they're doing."

Montemayor thinks the new store will help the adjacent area of Moses Lake grow.

"Can't do anything but grow on this side of town," he said.

Manager Ernie Lang said the store employs close to 60 people.

"I don't think we're as quite ready as I would like to be, but it's going to be real nice," Lang said. "We're down at the far side of town which needed a store, we're a full-service grocery store. Anything (customers) want or need, we should be able to provide."

The grocery store is the anchor for Lake Pointe Plaza. Jeff Foster is the owner/broker of Advantage GMAC Real Estate, which is managing and helping to develop the project.

"We're excited," Foster said. "Tickled to death they're here."

Othello resident Charlene Moline works at the town's location and is a relative of sorts of the Montemayors.

"This end of it is fantastic," she said with a laugh. "I haven't gotten any further. Vegetables look good, the way it's displayed, it just looks great."

Royal City residents Gary and Leslie Fanning, owners of their town's Harvest Foods location, came to welcome longtime friends the Montemayors.

"They're the newest star in our Harvest Foods flag," Leslie Fanning said. "I think the people on this side are going to be able to access the freeway to come here, bypass all of town and it's going to be so fast."

"Gorgeous," Gary Fanning echoed. "They've got a lot of history behind them, they know how to operate a grocery store and how to service the public, give personalized attention to their customers."

Moses Lake City Councilmember Richard Pearce said he's always anxious to see new offerings like the grocery store open up.

"Especially this close to my house," he said with a laugh. "I think this grocery store and the new development adjacent to it are going to be a real draw for people here, especially on the south end and people on the freeway. I think they'll do real good, I hope they do."