Sprouts and Shutters: Popeye’s to Open This Week, New Chase Branch Now Open

Wondering what’s moving into your neighborhood shopping center? Here's a roundup of what's new in Union City business:

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen opens Wednesday

The fried chicken food fight begins Wednesday, Dec. 21 when popular restaurant chain Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen opens in Union City, according to a sign posted on the new storefront. Located at 31816 Alvarado Blvd. in the Alvarado Plaza — just down the street from rival — the Union City Popeye’s will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant specializes in southern-style fried chicken, popcorn shrimp and catfish, along with Po’ Boy sandwiches and traditional side dishes such as Cajun battered fries, red beans and rice and mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy.

New Chase branch on Decoto

Chase customers will no longer have to navigate the Union Landing maze just to deposit some cash. A opened last week at the former Blockbuster location at 34596 Alvarado-Niles Rd. on the corner of Decoto Road. The 6,024-square-foot space features several outdoor ATM machines and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact the branch at 510-675-9714.

Dollar store now open at Alvarado Plaza

Dollar Star, a new bargain store, opened up shop earlier this month at 31852 Alvarado Blvd., also in the Alvarado Plaza and sandwiched between Ernie’s Liquors and Music City. The store is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

New learning centers now open

The JEI Learning Center celebrated its grand opening last month. Located at 31806 Alvarado Blvd. in the Alvarado Plaza, the national franchise offers math, English, reading and writing tutoring sessions for pre-kindergarten to ninth grade students. A Kumon Learning Center has also recently opened its doors on the east side of Union City at 34712 Alvarado-Niles Rd.

Ana Furniture coming to former Borders building

Left , the former Borders building will soon have a new tenant — San Mateo-based modern furniture store Ana Furniture. Though requests for information were not returned, construction crews were spotted more than a month ago renovating the 25,000-square-foot space. According to the city’s Economic Development Department staff, no opening date has been given.

Dragon House moving to Alvarado Plaza

Popular Old Alvarado Chinese restaurant will be relocating to the Alvarado Plaza in coming months. The new location, at 31870 Alvarado Blvd., is currently being remodeled. According to an employee at the current location, the new location won’t open for at least another two or three months.