POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Yohansi Santana noticed there was a need in downtown Lakeland that was not being met.
“Owning Divicious Deli, we get a lot of people that come from the train station, come from the bus station wandering around. They walk in, asking do you have Tylenol? Do you have a band-aid? So that’s when the idea came,” said Yohansi Santana, owner of Bodega Market.
Santana has been running Divicious Deli and Coffee Shop for about a decade downtown. Next door to it, she is opening Bodega Market.
“Brainstorming with different types of names. It just came to me. Well, I'm from New York, so why not call it Bodega Market,” Santana said.
The market will offer fresh foods, bread, a variety of grab-and-go items and basic household necessities. There will also be a deli case offering a selection of meats and cheeses.
The store is also offering products from other small businesses to help support locals. Downtown residents said they will no longer have to drive miles, looking for the nearest grocery store.
“It’s very convenient for me because I can come downtown and shop around and get things that I normally can't get,” said June Cochran.
A selection of wines and beers will be available once Santana receives a state license.
A small grocery downtown has been a longtime goal of city leaders as more people move to the area.
“We are exploding with apartments in downtown right now. We have hundreds more that are going to be built in the next five years or so," said Julie Townsend, Executive Director of Lakeland Downtown Development Agency. "We’re just really excited to be able to have somebody who is already known locally and already loved as a downtown business,” she said.
Bodega Market will be open for business Saturday. Store hours are Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
