Community Resident-Owned Grocery Stores Opens in Ventura County

By Raven West

Olga and Mario Gallegos

Grocery Outlet stores are independently operated by local families who are committed to supporting their communities. “We are thrilled to open a Grocery Outlet here in Ventura and bring our neighbors the most exciting way to save money on their groceries,” said independent owner-operators Amy and Eric Sawyer. “The partnership with Grocery Outlet allows us to be true entrepreneurs, create new jobs and have a positive impact on the neighborhood.”

The Ventura store, located at 9372 Telephone Road. Amy and Eric have four children and are originally from Yuba City, CA where they began their retail careers with Walmart.  Eric has 12-years in experience managing stores as well as in fresh products and Amy has 11-years in experience as a customer service manager and assistant store manager as well.  Amy and Eric both come from a military family so they are very passionate about recognizing the military for their service as well as being involved with organizations that their children are actively involved in. As owner-operators of the Ventura store, a big focus of their will be supporting the community of Ventura through non-profit partnerships such as church organizations, food banks and school organizations to name a few.

Donating to Food Share

The Oxnard store is located on 920 N. Ventura Road and is owned and operated independently by Olga and Mario Gallegos are of Mexican descent who were born and raised in Port Hueneme and Oxnard respectively. Mario has been in the grocery retail business since graduating high school and expecting his first child with Olga. The new baby on the way fueled Mario’s desire to work hard and start a career in the grocery business. Olga was primarily a stay at home mother until 2015 when she decided to purchase their first business, a Pepperidge Farm Route, where she was responsible for delivering all Pepperidge Farm cookies and crackers to almost every single grocery store in Oxnard. This experience encouraged Olga and Mario to venture into owning their own Grocery Outlet store. The couple is looking forward to continue serving the community of Oxnard and supporting local non-profit organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard, Oxnard Downtown Lions Club, Food Share and Oxnard homeless shelters to name a few.

Based in Emeryville, California, Grocery Outlet offers big savings on brand name products, with customers able to save 40% to 70% compared to conventional retailers. They also offer a large selection of beer and wine, health and beauty care, as well as seasonal items.

Photo Credits: Raven West

Raven West is a free-lance writer and published author who has lived in Ventura County for more than twenty years. She has an extensive knowledge of local wineries from Thousand Oaks to Ojai and will be covering special events which take place at the tasting rooms throughout the year.Named in the TOP 50 Authors by Authorsdb.com

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