The Willow Glen Mi Rancho Supermarket, 1003 Lincoln Ave., is one of the small market's five locations. The market caters mostly to the Hispanic community but also has a large non-Hispanic customer base.

Alonzo Lopez has been the owner of the Willow Glen store for three years.

"My family has always been in the supermarket business," says 27-year-old Lopez. " My uncle owns the San Mateo, Redwood City and Menlo Park Mi Rancho locations. My father owns stores in Gilroy and Newark."

Lopez says the store's meat department sets it apart from the other local grocery chains.

"Nothing in our meat department is prepackaged or frozen. We get meat delivered five days a week," he says. "The customer tells us what they want and if we don't have it that day, we get it for them. All of the meat is there for them to see. Nothing is hidden by the packaging."

The bakery department is also a busy section of the market. A customer can select from an assortment of Mexican and American delicacies.

"We keep our prices low," Lopez says. "If a store keeps a low overhead, they don't have to charge their customers more. I want our customers to know that when they come here they will get the best prices. We have a lot of four-for-$1 deals and things like that to help our customers save money."

Lopez also claims to have the lowest beer prices in town.

For anyone planning a Mexican meal, Mi Rancho is sure to have all the needed ingredients.

The spice aisle has both dried and fresh ingredients. There are buckets of almost any bean you can think of, and the produce is delivered fresh six days a week to ensure a diverse selection.

Many Mexican delicacies can be found here, including Horchata, which has become a popular rice drink in America during the last few years.

"We take specialty orders, but we don't get too many of those because we usually have it all," says Lopez. "Our most important asset is our customers' happiness. Without that, there's not much reason to do business. I make sure we know our regular customers by name. If they have to place a specialty order, I try to make sure we stock that item for them in the future."

Part of Lopez' plan to keep his customers happy is his music selection. Traditional Mexican music is piped in from a satellite feed that Lopez purchased to add atmosphere and a homey feeling to his store.

"It may not seem like a big deal, the kind of music I play in here, until you see the customers dancing in the aisles to a song they haven't heard in a long time. Music is a very important part of our culture," says Lopez.

With the specialty cuts of meat, the low prices and the delicious bakery items, it's no wonder that Mi Rancho has become such a popular shopping spot.

Mi Rancho Supermarket, located at 1003 Lincoln Ave., is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Check cashing is also available. For more information, call 408.882.0117.