The store at 1179 Navajo St. became Supermercado de las Americas. Starting five years ago, Stahle cleared out the canned goods and added a bakery to make Mexican sweetbreads from scratch. She ordered Mexican brands - of puddings, candies and even laundry soap. And lettuce and tomatoes made way for tomatillos, chilies and cactus leaves.

The Mexican makeover helped her weather a nearby Wal-Mart opening in 2004 at 1300 S. 300 West. But will she and owners of the dozens of Mexican meat markets and bakeries spread throughout the west side survive the opening of a Gigante - what some call Wal-Mart's Latino equivalent?

"As far as business goes, if we didn't do this, I wouldn't be eating today," Stahle says about the store she co-owns with her husband, Craig. Gigante "really would take my Latino population from this neighborhood to that neighborhood up there and probably hurt everything I just did."

Gigante, a Mexico-based grocery chain, could anchor a 160,000-square-foot shopping center at North Temple and Redwood Road, an industrial slice of town with spartan retail options. A California-based developer plans what he calls a Latino-themed project, possibly with restaurants, furniture, clothing and professional service shops.

The Legaspi Co. is seeking a loan and sales-tax-subsidy package from Salt Lake City. The development might not happen without the city's help.

Developer José de JesSs Legaspi expects little competition. He says Latino retailers now in the Utah market are 30 to 40 years behind the times. And Legaspi's local lobbyist said Gigante would become the best supermarket in the area, topping other national chains.

While Mayor Rocky Anderson promotes a "buy local" credo, his office is urging the City Council to approve the subsidy, which could mean less money in the form of loans for local businesses.

"I don't think it violates what we're doing at all. A development like this paves the way for more local business," says Alison McFarlane, Anderson's economic adviser, who is aiming to meet west-side demands for more retail. She adds the Legaspi project could have space for local tenants.

"Is it going to affect [locally owned business]? In some way it will affect them, but I don't know how."

But even national retailers in the neighborhood are worried. Near the proposed Gigante sits Redwood Plaza, a strip mall at 700 North and Redwood Road with a Super Saver, as well as clothing and video shops. The discount supermarket caters to Latinos, selling Mexican grey squash, Salvadoran-style sour cream, and specialty spices such as mugwort herb and ground arbol chili.

Super Saver officials won't comment on the competition, but an attorney for the strip mall's owner did. Mark Theodore balks at giving Legaspi a sales-tax rebate, and he predicts the new development will put shops out of business.

"This is a very large competitor," he says. "It's the equivalent of moving in a Wal-Mart to the area. This could, in essence, leave a number of strip malls vacant in the long run. We just don't think the Hispanic community has been consulted."

Beatrize Arce, a 27-year-old mother of two sons, probably would go to Gigante, especially if it was one-stop shopping.

The Rose Park resident usually shops local Mexican markets to get the freshest fruits, vegetables, meat and sweetbread. Then she goes to Wal-Mart and other neighborhood chain stores for the rest of her groceries. "It will be nice to get everything in one place," Arce says in Spanish.

Laura Hernandez agrees, but the Rose Park resident adds her decision on where to shop will be based on who has the lowest prices to feed her husband and five children.

Hernandez, who moved from Mexico 12 years ago, likes Mexican markets for the fresh-cut meat and short aisles and checkout lines.

"Here, I come in and out," Hernandez says after buying lettuce at Anaya's Market, a small shop that sits behind a Smith's Food & Drug store at 1174 W. 600 North. She heads to Costco for diapers, toilet paper and laundry detergent about once a month. If Gigante is less expensive, she will make the switch. "We need a store with lower prices - that will get the people's attention," Hernandez says in Spanish.

Jorge Fierro, owner of Rico Mexican Market & Catering, hopes Gigante will improve the locally owned Latino markets he says are poorly run. Gigante "will bring a much higher way of doing business in the Hispanic community. It will help to clean up those [whose owners] don't pay that much attention to their business. I honestly think that, sometimes, Hispanics don't . . . have a market that reflects who we are in the real world."

Jesus Mejia knows what to expect from Gigante. He used to work as a baker at one in California. And while he owns a 3-month-old Mexican bakery and restaurant called Taqueria y Panaderia Guadalajara at 956 W. 1000 North, he said Gigante is needed in Salt Lake City.

"It won't affect me at all," Mejia says in Spanish while toasting bread for tortas, a Mexican sandwich. "The clientele looks for what they want, and if they like your food, they'll continue coming to you."

But Santiago Flores, who owns two Mexican bakeries on the city's west side, argues Gigante would make a dent. "If they decide to go there, the small Latino businesses will suffer," he says in Spanish. "But what can I do about those big stores? They have money. . . . I can just keep working and uphold my business."

For her part, Stahle is not against Gigante coming in and believes she can withstand the competition. However, she wants to make sure city money is available for those who came first.

hmay@sltrib.com

jsanchez@sltrib.com