The downtown Nampa Furniture City buildings have a new owner—and he’s bringing tacos
Since 2017, the former Furniture City buildings in the heart of downtown Nampa have stood empty, even as surrounding buildings get swept up in major renovations.
Finally, the two buildings have a buyer: Senen Aguilar-Campos and his son, Nestor, owners of Pantera Market. The family plans to open a fourth market-plus-taqueria in Nampa there. They already operate two Hispanic grocery stores in Caldwell and one in Nampa.
“We work better when there’s a large community close by,” said Nestor Aguilar in a telephone interview. “We want to be a community store where people in the neighborhood will go to on a day-to-day basis.”
The restaurant and market, to open at 1323 2nd St. S., will offer Hispanic ingredients and groceries. The Aguilars are considering shutting down their store at 415 5th Ave. in Caldwell to open this new Nampa location.
Regular customers of the Nampa and Caldwell markets come for the carniceria — the meat department. The market is best known for its cuts of carne asada.
“The cuts in our meat department are cut to make a good home-cooked meal,” Nestor Aguilar said.
But for those lacking culinary skills, the market will also serve freshly made tacos, burritos and tortas out of a restaurant in the back.
The key, Aguilar said, is authenticity.
“We even import some spices from Mexico directly so we can maintain that authentic taste,” he said. The tortillas will be made fresh daily at their Caldwell location.
The restaurant and market will occupy 6,900 square feet at the corner of South 14th Avenue and South 2nd Street. Though Nestor Aguilar and his father haven’t solidified their plans, they are considering creating an event space in the second building, or potentially expanding the footprint of the market.
But first: renovations. The Aguilars are hiring architects and contractors to install the plumbing needed for the meat department and restaurant. Nestor Aguilar said that they don’t have an estimate for how much the renovations will cost.
The Aguilars bought both buildings for around $750,000, Nestor Aguilar said. The deal closed on Friday, June 7.
Nestor Aguilar said he hopes to open the market by late fall of this year.
The buildings were previously owned by the Galena Opportunity Fund, an Idaho-based investment fund that develops tax-incentived mixed-use projects throughout Idaho, Washington and Utah.
In recent months, the fund has sold properties it owns on that block in Nampa to small businesses hoping to revitalize the community, such as the building at 217 14th Ave. S. which was sold to H&M Meats and Catering. A cigar lounge is also set to open in the same building.
This story was originally published June 13, 2019 at 12:30 PM.
