8FFLFOE MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE
STORY BY SHEILA HIMMEL PHOTOS BY MAGALI GAUTHIER
MIGHTY
market AMBITIOUS PIAZZA’S REMODEL KEEPS A FOCUS ON PRODUCE AND EXPANDS CHEESE, WINE, FREEZER, AND HOT-FOOD SECTIONS
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eep it local and listen to your customers. That’s what John Piazza Sr. of Piazza’s Fine Foods, which has a newly expanded store in south Palo Alto, taught his sons about staying competitive in the grocery business. It’s never been the easiest way to make a living and is now even more treacherous, with big-box discounters on one flank, supermarket chains on the other and farmers’ markets nipping at the heart of what family-owned groceries provide: a sense of community. At nearby Alma Plaza, the similarly specialty-oriented Miki’s Farm Fresh Market closed in April after a six-month struggle. It is to become a Grocery Outlet, a chain store offering name-brand products at steep discounts. Piazza’s other close competitors range in size and flavor from Mountain View’s compact indooroutdoor Milk Pail, crammed full of cheese and specialty products, to the new 64,000-square-foot upscale Safeway at San Antonio Center. Piazza’s Fine Foods forged ahead with its ambitious Palo Alto expansion, taking over the
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next-door dental offices for a total of 20,000 square feet. Finishing touches should be completed sometime in September. A recent tour highlighted the changes, which aim straight at shoppers’ new attitudes about foods from kombucha to kosher. As John Piazza Jr. says, “People are very aware of what they’re eating today.” Right away, entering Piazza’s is more like walking into a farmers’ market than a supermarket. You see cantaloupes, not candies or carpet cleaners. Handsome wooden bins of fruit and vegetables accompany visitors from the parking lot into the store, and a cheerful, non-accusatory sign reminds you about bringing shopping bags, in case you’ve left yours in the car. Gluten-free products are peppered throughout the store, starting at the front window with a tempting display from Zest Bakery of San Carlos: fresh-baked muffins, cookies and
From top: Piazza’s continues its focus on fresh produce, including asparagus; Red Dragon cheddar is among the cheese selections; olives and marinated vegetables make a tempting display.
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September 6, 2013 ■ Mountain View Voice ■ MountainViewOnline.com ■
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