H-E-B plus! stores have been springing up all over Texas, including in the Austin area, but not close to close-in Austinites. With the arrival of the redone store on East Riverside, all this has changed.

Somewhere between a standard H-E-B grocery (if there’s any such thing) and Central Market, there are H-E-B plus! stores. They are larger and they stock more household soft and hard goods, including such items as televisions. As of this past weekend, the H-E-B on Riverside, perhaps even more crowded per square inch with merchandise and people than the store at Oltorf and Congress, although open during the entire enlarging and remodeling process, is now officially a plus.

The parking lot is still undergoing improvements and there’s still some stocking to be done, but gone are the narrow aisles of yesteryear. It used to be almost impossible to avoid bumping into a fellow shopper, but those days are over.

I forgot to count the number of checkout lanes, but they were legion, and they were all open and complete with assistants to place the checked-through purchases in sacks.

The produce section is very large and complete. Aguas frescas in many flavors are being prepared in view of the shoppers. There’s a fish counter, and in the case are many specialties, including octopuses displayed in the fashion often seen in Mexico. There’s a very long glass case that shows off all the popular cuts of beef as they would be displayed in Mexico. These carniceria cuts are in addition to the standard packs of beef to be seen in any store in town.

No part of the steer, the hog, or the bird is wasted. Every part is available for purchase, from pigs’ trotters to chicken feet.

This store, at 2508 East Riverside next to Pleasant Valley, is open from 6 am to 1 am every day of the week (telephone 448-354).