After years of waiting, Sunset Beach finally has its own grocery store.
Officials gathered early Thursday to officially cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the company’s latest store in what is a growing chain of health and wellness lifestyle food stores.
“We believe in what we do,” said Mother’s Market Chief Executive Officer Dorothy Carlow on Thursday, “and we are so happy to now become a part of this [Sunset Beach] community.”
The store, opening July 29, was especially gratifying, she said, because of employee heroics during the pandemic. Despite COVID-necessitated delays, the company’s dedicated team kept their other stores going and construction moving in Sunset Beach, the company CEO said.
Moreover, Carlow said she was amazed at how the Sunset Beach development team had been able to put such a full-service grocery store into so little square footage.
“When I first looked at the site,” said Carlow, “I said, oh my gosh, this store is so small, I don’t know if we can fit a full-service grocery store into this space.”
“But somehow we managed to bring you a small, but mighty store,” she said. “It’s tiny but mighty,” said Carlow.
She thanked the local Mother’s Market development team for their amazing “space planning” techniques that brilliantly shoehorned a huge store into a small space.
“Thank you so much and congratulations, Dorothy,” said Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr, who thanked the company’s “entire executive team for putting together a beautiful store.”
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Carr, who admitted to being “addicted to your juices,” Carr himself also living near the other Mother’s location in Huntington Beach.
“We are so grateful that you have chosen to open a second location in Huntington Beach,” said Carr.
Carlow also presented a ceremonial $5000 check to Adam Ereth, program director for the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, a nonprofit organization in Costa Mesa that provides meals to “anyone who needs them.”
Mother’s executive Kendall Stein lauded the “Someone Cares” organization for its effort to feed so many people during the pandemic and for their efforts “to feed hot meals to anyone who really needs it including homeless, unemployed, underemployed, children and you name it.”
She said the company has been providing food and other assistance to the nonprofit.
“As you can imagine, the last year and one-half was pretty challenging for us,” said Ereth, “but we had strong community partners like Mother’s Market donating fresh fruits, vegetables and even donating their time and energy,” he said.
In an interview after the ceremony, Carlow said collaborating with nonprofits with Someone Cares and directly interfacing with the communities they serve are indeed a vital part of the unique company’s business model.
“[Mother’s Market] is more than just food,” said Carlow. Make no mistake, she said, “we’re not just selling food. We are a local grocery store that wants to be a provider of health and wellness every single day,” she said.
“Our mission is to bring healthy, organic, and natural foods to the communities we serve because we believe that what you eat very much matters to your health,” said Carlow.
Mother’s Market was founded in 1978 by a group of yoga enthusiasts consisting of friends and family who couldn’t find a place that carried vegetarian foods and related lifestyle products.
“They couldn’t find natural foods anywhere, so they founded the company to provide it for themselves and their community,” said Carlow. “And it grew from there.”
“We provide customers with a happy place to shop,” the CEO said, but noted their stores go beyond basic groceries to nourish the “health and wellness” of the communities they serve.
Over the years, Mother’s has gained a reputation for having all the best products for specialized diets, top quality local and organic produce, and the county’s largest selection of supplements, according to the company’s website.
In addition to natural products, Mother’s Market has developed unique juice blends, many of which have become local favorites, along with other health and wellness products and promotions.
Carlow said the Sunset Beach location was a natural choice for the company. “We wanted to have a second store in Huntington Beach because the first one is doing so well,” she added, noting the company recently enjoyed a capital infusion that provides for significant growth.
Currently, she said, MM is planning to open three new stores, one in Corona del Mar and others in Los Angeles.
Scott Seaton, the manager of Peter’s Landing Marina shopping center where Mother’s Market is now located, said he was “very happy” about MM’s opening. Also, Seaton said Pendulum Property Partners “did a great job” in getting the much-needed market into the shopping center.
Christian McCormick, the Sunset Beach store manager, said simply “welcome to my tiny, but mighty store” as the market’s doors were opened, and eager shoppers quickly filled the store.
Lori Gray of Leisure World said Mother’s Market “is the kind of store we needed.” Gray said she attended the ribbon cutting and was one of the first shoppers inside the store. “I was very impressed with the location and parking. The store is impeccably clean,” she added.
Gray noted the numerous healthy food items throughout the store and said the new Mother’s outdoor dining area, that is an open-air pavilion overlooking the marina, “is a great place to have a meal.”
What began in Costa Mesa four decades ago as a tiny, 2,500 square foot health and wellness pioneering operation, today includes ten Mother’s Market [and kitchen] locations, the latest which is located at 16400 Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach [Peter’s Landing].
“This city [Huntington Beach] loves you,” Mayor Carr told Mother’s Market officials, “and you will see the love. I know this community,” she said, “and it is absolutely thrilled.”
Editor’s Note: Chris Macdonald contributed to this report.