The most recent span of harsh winter weather hampered
construction last week and again Tuesday to continue
work on expanding the Mexican grocery store La Lupita on
Broadway Street in downtown Lenoir City, which will be
located across the street from the EZ Stop gas station
and convenience store, but officials hope the project
will still be on schedule to open this spring.
Leon Williams, president and owner of commercial
construction firm Leon Williams Contractors, who is
constructing the building, said crews were shut down all
of last week thanks to the most recent bout of frigid
temperatures that brought with it heavy ice and snow
throughout East Tennessee. Though crews were dormant,
Williams is still pushing for an April opening with
about 50 percent of construction already complete.
“They are trying to get the exterior closed in where
we will be weather tight,” Williams said. “Right
now, we are partially weather tight. We just don’t
have the windows and doors and all in. Our next step
out is get the windows and doors in to where we can
close it in and go from there. The parking lot will
be done after we get the exterior walls and all
done, so we’ve still got quite a bit of work to do,
but with weather cooperating we can hit the outside
and inside at the same time.”
Construction on the Lenoir City store began in early
October.
“Depending on what the weather does this week, next
week and all, we’ll be back online and get caught
up,” he added. “We can work in inclement weather,
but when it’s ice you don’t do that. ... And it’s
affected our delivery, products coming in from out
of state, so it’s going to be a mad dash to finish.
“I’ve never been shut down for a week, never,”
Williams said.
Maria Cornejo, co-owner of the store and a Lenoir
City resident, said she hopes to move store
operations from the current location on A Street
shortly after construction is complete, and the new
store location will grow the family business and
pump dollars into the local economy.
“We do want to construct another building hopefully
in a few years from now. We’ve got to get this one
done first,” Cornejo said, pointing to Oak Ridge or
Knoxville as a potential future location.
Lenoir City Assistant City Administrator Amber Scott
agreed with Cornejo’s sentiments, adding that the
Broadway Street environment offers a lot potential
for foot traffic as compared to the bustling U.S.
Highway 321 corridor.
“I think it will do a lot for our economy as far as
sale tax dollars. There is obviously demand for a
cultural restaurant and store and even a laundry
mat. I believe the only one is on Kingston Street,”
Scott said. “I think this restaurant and grocery
store will get a lot of foot traffic. I totally
understand why they would want to be located on
Broadway. I think it will pump tax dollars into our
local economy.”
With plans underway to revitalize downtown through
the roadway project “Streetscapes,” which includes
aesthetic improvements to downtown with improved
lighting, landscaping, pavement markings,
underground utilities and widened on-street parking
and renovations to the historic Waller Building
downtown, Scott said she believes Lenoir City is
well poised for new life in the downtown district,
especially with the addition of La Lupita.
“Other developers I think it might get them
interested about investing in downtown. If this
succeeds, and I believe it will, it might get other
investors interested in having other businesses pop
up downtown whether it’s restaurants or retail
spaces,” Scott said.
The 7,200-square-foot building will include a
restaurant, grocery store and laundry mat. The
Maryville-based developer helped build other La
Lupita stores also in Loudon and Maryville.
Loudon’s location, constructed in 2010 on U.S.
Highway 11 near Highway 72, is 10,000 square feet
and has a restaurant and store, a laundry mat and a
hair and nail salon. Maryville’s location is about
5,000 square feet and only includes a restaurant and
store.
Expanding the store has been years in the making.
According to an earlier report from Loudon County
Property Assessor’s office, co-owner Manuel Cornejo
purchased five parcels off West Broadway Street for
$234,500 in December 2010. Williams said he expects
the project to total about $1.5 million.
The current Lenoir City location on A Street, with
only 3,000 square feet, holds enough space for store
merchandise, a fresh meats counter and restaurant.
It wouldn’t be the first time, however, that La
Lupita was located on Broadway. Maria Cornejo said
the family business, which opened first with only
the Lenoir City location in the early 2000s, was
once located near the current Roane State Community
College campus in Lenoir City, but when the downtown
block burned the store moved to A Street.
“We are excited to be there, but we know it’s high
quality, and it takes time,” Maria Cornejo said,
adding that with the expansion the store will add “a
few more” employees. “We’re back on Broadway.”