This Decades-Old Grocery Store Is Closing Permanently

Country Sun in Palo Alto is set to close its doors, ending its 50-year run selling organic grocery goods, Palo Alto Online reports. Scott Otte, the CEO of Country Sun told the online news site that they had looked to sell the business to a potential buyer, but the deal fell through earlier this month. In speaking with SFGATE, Otte says sales have remained 25 to 30 percent lower than before the pandemic. “It’s not sustainable,” Otte said. “We’ve tried to hold on as long as we could.”

The store has existed in some form since the 1970s, first beginning as an offshoot of another grocery store, Country Harvest, Palo Alto Online states. The store moved onto California Avenue in 1976 eventually moving into its current, larger space in 1980. About a dozen employees will be affected by the closure.