Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
During a recent gathering at Mission EDC in Mission, Texas, its CEO, Teclo Garcia, announced “the good news of a new supermarket coming to town.” The chain, Junior’s Supermarket, is owned and operated by Felix Chávez Jr., its founder. Now, the Chávez family is fully integrated and leading the enterprise. The chain is known for “great service, aisles bursting with merchandise,” and is recognized for selling “the best quality beef.” Teclo, sharing the announcement on social media, quipped:
“Where’s the beef? Soon, it’ll be in Mission. Junior’s Supermarket — the real meat people — will soon start building its first Mission location and possibly a second in the near future, creating numerous new jobs and investing millions into the local economy.”
Founded in 1978 by Félix Chávez Jr. (nicknamed “Junior”) as a convenience store, Junior’s now operates eight or nine full‑scale grocery stores in the Rio Grande Valley. It employs hundreds across the RGV and sources from many local businesses. Recently, Junior’s “leased an office suite in our CEED Building as part of its expansion,” and the firm was the focus of a Mission EDC Business Over Breakfast networking event attended by some 75 business and community leaders. The event extended “a warm Mission welcome to the entire Junior’s family, including CEO Joseph Welsh and Elizabeth Chavez, VP of Development & Community Engagement.”
Origins and Growth of Junior’s Supermarket
Félix Chávez Jr. began his journey in the grocery industry in 1978 by purchasing a “very small convenience store… in Pharr,” which he believed was “a good investment and a good area to someday start a grocery store” In 1981, at age 30, he opened his first full grocery store. This modest 3,200 sq ft. space quickly became “an immediate success”.
Over time, Chávez expanded the business and now operates multiple stores ranging in size from 7,200 sq ft. to 35,000 sq ft.—some with full-scale delicatessens, bakeries, and additional departments. As of mid‑2020, Junior’s operated eight stores in Hidalgo County—including locations in Pharr, Alton, Edinburg, Hidalgo, Peñitas, and San Juan—employing around 450 people. By 2023, the chain had grown to nine locations, including a recently opened Junior’s Fresh Market in Edinburg, notable for its café and pizzeria areas as well as its standout meat market, affectionately branded “the real meat people”.
Félix Chávez Jr.’s story is rooted in humble beginnings. Born in Weslaco, he immigrated with his family from El Realito, Tamaulipas, at age 13 in 1964. The family initially labored in the fields across the RGV and northern states such as Idaho and California before Félix, mentored by local Hispanic grocery industry figures, entered supermarket management and eventually founded Junior’s.
Félix’s wife, María Inés, has been integral from the start—working daily in the store and the office, later handling accounting across multiple locations and working side‑by‑side with him. Together, they have helped preserve Junior’s as a cherished family enterprise, now involving second and third generations.
The business is characterized by its cultural focus, offering high-quality products tailored to Latino community preferences, including both U.S.-sourced and Hispanic-imported items, as well as prepared home‑style meals from an in-store kitchen.
Junior’s also stands out for its charitable work. As a “watermelon level” sponsor of the Food Bank RGV’s annual Empty Bowls luncheon, the chain contributed enough to provide up to 50,000 meals to those in need across the region.
In addition to charitable efforts, Félix Chávez Jr. plays an active role in local economic and educational initiatives. In 2021, he was named to the founding Board of Directors of the Pharr EDC Foundation, an initiative aimed at promoting scholarships, internships, and financial education for students in Pharr.
Junior’s has demonstrated adaptability in the face of industry shifts and crises. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, the chain saw increased grocery demand, particularly for breakfast items, meats, and frozen goods. It adjusted to supply chain disruptions—facing shortages of cleaning supplies and fresh meat—by sourcing from alternative suppliers, including from Mexico. The chain also implemented safety measures, including plexiglass shields, mandatory masks, sanitized carts, and temperature checks for employees.
Moreover, Junior’s has kept pace with modern consumer trends. Its management highlighted its ongoing investments in digital marketing, technology, and advertising to appeal to Millennials, saying, “Service and quality are most important, and we try to keep up with the trends, like offering what Millennials want. Mr. Chavez is very good at that”
