Santa Maria Thunder Deals, an Amazon liquidation store, opened up for business in the Santa Maria Plaza Shopping Center last week. A day later, Mochilicious Society held its grand opening.
The two new storefronts aim to bring a unique variety of merchandise and cuisine to the city.
“Everyone walks in, and the first thing they say is, 'Santa Maria really needed this,'" said Teresa Choi, part owner of Mochilicious Society.
She says her new shop specializes in Asian street food, ranging from mochi donuts to boba and Korean corn dogs.
Choi admits she was a bit nervous about opening her business in the shopping center at Betteravia Rd. and Miller St., but the arrival of other stores has already given them an early boost.
“The past six months I have been seeing that this center is growing ridiculously quick,” Choi added. “Chain stores are coming in or other businesses like us that are unique that are in this center. It is actually thriving now.”
Steps away from Mochilicious, Matthew Rubboz and his team at Santa Maria Thunder Deals were tending to customers for their $1 Wednesdays.
“Times are tough for everyone right now and it is nice giving out deals to everyone in the community,” Rubboz told KSBY.
Rubboz says his store gets its inventory from Amazon and sells it to customers at a discounted price.
Among the many rows of merchandise, you will find half-off Apple gadgets, shoes, skincare products and much more.
“New items come out every hour or so. It keeps it fun. It is a little treasure hunt for people and everyone enjoys it,” he added.
Rubboz tells KSBY the grand opening for his neighbors at Mochilicious has resulted in more foot traffic for both of the shopping center’s new tenants.
“We both helped each other out,” he said. “We sent a lot of people their way, they sent a lot of people our way. It has just been fun for everyone.”
Despite some early challenges with staffing and the expenses of starting up a new business, Choi says she is excited about what’s to come for the area.
“It is heartwarming that we can be at the center of that, and that we are able to be a part of the growth in Santa Maria,” Choi stated.
A new Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurant will also be opening in the same shopping center in the next few months.
