Nicole Segura remembers “playing store” as an only child, pretending to check out customers and stock shelves.

One day away from the opening of Millside Market in New Iberia, Segura is seeing those childhood dreams coming to life.

“This is like my childhood dream, I can’t believe it,” she said Tuesday.

Segura and her husband Chad are the owners of Millside Market, which will have a soft opening today and fill the grocery needs of the Acadian Acres community, which has been without a local grocery store since the closing of Daspit Supermarket.

The opening marks Segura as a fourth-generation grocer. Her mother was the owner of the Lydia Food Store before she sold it, as well as the former Centerville Market. Her grandfather and great-grandfather owned grocery stores as well.

Chad Segura said when he and his wife heard about the closing of the community market, they decided to venture into owning a grocery store of their own that would serve local residents.

Chad Segura said he’s the one who came up with the name of the store.

“Being on this side of New Iberia, there’s the sugar mill and the old mill; it was kind of my idea,” he said.

The store opens with about 25 employees, many of whom were on the scene Tuesday preparing for opening day.

As a full-time employee at Cleco, Chad Segura said he’s worked for years in the Acadian Acres side of New Iberia and has plenty of familiarity with it. Chad plans to continue his full-time job while his wife “runs the operation.”

Coming from a long line of grocery store owners, Segura said she’s well acquainted with the industry and even spent a few years working on the vendor side. That experience, she said, will be very helpful as she ventures into the opening of Millside.

As far as the community response, Chad Segura said local residents are more than excited to have a community grocery market that they can once again patronize.

“I think we have good meat, good produce. The community will be happy,” he said.