For the last five years, King has operated her take-out restaurant at 296 Cambridge Street, sharing a spot with a gas station convenience store. She said she offers “good service, fresh food, all from scratch,” and the wall behind the counter is decorated with a thank you notes, a Mexican flag, and pictures of friends and customers—King said the two are one and the same.
Though Villa Mexico found loyal customers at the location, it wasn't perfect, King said, recalling times when the lights or electricity wouldn't work or the freezers went out, spoiling $4,000 worth of good food, she said. In July, her phone service was unexpectedly severed, requiring her to use her cell phone to take orders from customers.
After these problems, she said, she received an eviction notice--the property owners plan to redevelop the space, with King asked to leave by September 1--and then, after a reprieve, by the end of 2011. After thinking she would have almost a year to save money to move to a new place, she said, the restaurant faced sudden closure. The search was on for a new location, with notices to customers and a Kickstarter campaign for fundraising.
On Thursday, though, King announced to customers that with "several angels to guide us in our search," a new location was found: a redeveloped retail space at 12 Grove Street.
A Beacon Hill couple, "Wilson angels," bought the Grove Street building and put together an "incredible proposition" for Villa Mexico, the announcement said. However, the restaurant will require a new zoning permit to allow take-out food service. If the restaurant gets approval, King said, they could move in to the former barber shop in January 2012.
This is welcome news to King, who lamented having to leave Beacon Hill. "People like our food, she said, and "they like us as a family, me and my daughter."
"People from the hospital come and tell me the stories," she said in August. "It's been such a wonderful five years--god blessed me with this place."
