brought a wealth of experience to the former Terra's, a neighbourhood grocery store on Serpentine Road in Pembroke. Former part-owners of the Giant Foods store, Mr. and Mrs. Mendonca sold their shares to Lindo's last year when they acquired Terra's. And they have since put an abundance of time and energy into turning the store around. After a major interior refurbishment, the store's name -- Terra's -- was changed to The Garden Market. And the supermarket's hours were extended to accommodate customer needs. The Garden Market is now open Monday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm and Friday and Saturdays from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm, said Mr. Mendonca. "We felt out the neighbourhood to see what hours would accommodate our customers. We're trying to cater to their needs,'' he said, adding that the store offers a free delivery service. The Mendoncas brought with them staff members from the old Giant Foods store including a cashier, warehouse manager and produce manager. The packer from Terra's grocery has also joined the new team. "We operate on six staff members including ourselves,'' said Mrs. Mendonca. "And we have our three children come in to help out on the weekends.'' Added Mr. Mendonca: "Involving our children gives the store that family-oriented atmosphere -- which is what we want. We want this store to be a neighbourhood supermarket with friendly service that is dedicated to our customers.'' The staff work together and help each other out, noted Mrs. Mendonca. "And because the store is small, we've built a closer relationship with the customers. We think this is very important -- we want to establish friendly service.'' Asked about future plans, Mr. Mendonca said: "We're feeling out our customer base and we're willing to change with the times. If people want certain products, we'll try to accommodate them. "We'll watch for the trends and cater to them as they come along...so what happens in the future depends mainly on our customers. He added: "It takes time to build something up -- we don't expect it to happen in one day. "But what gives us that extra little push is when people come into the store and say `your shop looks great'. That really spurs us on.'' FRESH MEATS -- Co-owner Mr. Manuel Mendonca (on left) and produce manager Mr. Octavio Mendonca at work behind the new fresh meat section, which offers basic meats as well as specialties like chourico.

FRIENDLY SERVICE -- Customers get fast, efficient service at the newly renovated Garden Market grocery store on Serpentine Road in Pembroke.

CHECKING OUT -- Cashier Ms Elaine Russell checks out your groceries with a smile. Although she is the main cashier, every staff member including the owners, help out wherever possible. NEW LOOK -- The freshly painted grocery store on Serpentine Road in Pembroke has changed its name from Terra's to The Garden Market.