The long-empty former Rite Aid building at 435 Liberty St. NE has a new tenant lined up: El Torito Supermarket.
Owners Lily Perez and Alfredo Mendez say they got the keys Tuesday, Dec. 30, and plan to open a full grocery store downtown with everyday essentials, a wide range of Mexican products, and a meat department that Perez calls the store’s biggest draw. Construction is expected to take six to nine months, with a target opening around September 2026 — and hopes to open sooner.
“I think it’s a great location,” Perez said in a phone interview. “There’s no grocery store around there… and we’re excited that it’s in Salem and that there’s that opportunity.”
The deal was brokered by Elizabeth Infante and Ian Levin of Nathan Levin Co. Infante said the goal was to match a long-discussed downtown need with a local operator ready to expand.
“Both Ian and I are super excited to bring a local franchise to downtown Salem. We listened to the downtown needs, we did our homework, worked hard and delivered. Super excited for El Torito’s success!” Infante said.
Salem Mayor Julie Hoy said the project brings new energy to a prominent downtown property.
“This is great news for Salem! El Torito Market has been a wonderful neighbor in NE Salem, and I’m excited to see them bring new life to a long-standing downtown property. Local businesses make our community stronger,” Hoy said in a statement.
Why a downtown grocery store keeps coming up
City planning materials tied to major downtown redevelopment efforts have repeatedly pointed to grocery access as part of a more livable core — the kind of day-to-day service that helps downtown function as a neighborhood, not just a destination.
That context helps explain the reaction to El Torito’s announcement. A grocery store changes how people use a place: it turns a quick errand into an on-foot stop, keeps more spending in the core, and gives nearby residents a reason to come downtown when they’re not headed to an event or restaurant.
Perez said her family noticed the Liberty Street building sitting empty and kept coming back to the same question: why not here?
“We would drive by there, and I would always be like, ‘Look, I think this is a good location,’” she said.
What El Torito plans to offer downtown
Perez described the downtown location as a full grocery store — one meant to serve a broad customer base — while keeping the product mix El Torito is known for.
“We have a lot of Mexican products for sure,” she said. “And then we have our meat — it’s our biggest thing in our store.”
Perez said the business began as a butcher shop in McMinnville before growing into multiple markets, including two long-running Salem locations on Lancaster Drive. She estimated the Lancaster store sees roughly 1,600 to 2,000 customers a day, based on register counts, and said the store’s staying power comes from consistent service and regulars who have been shopping there for years.
“I think it’s the service,” she said. “We have a lot of loyal customers… We always make sure that they have good quality, good price.”
Perez said she and her family have lived in West Salem for about 20 years, and framed the downtown expansion as both business and personal — a commitment to the community where her children were raised.
“It’s our hometown now,” she said. “We’re excited that we get the opportunity to open another location there.”
If construction stays on schedule, the former Rite Aid site would shift from a quiet corner to a weekly-stop grocery option in the heart of downtown.
