CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Husband and wife entrepreneurs Mitch and Carol Beare are proud to celebrate the opening of a brand-new Grocery Outlet in Clearlake on Thursday, July 22, with a grand opening celebration planned for Saturday, July 24.

Clearlake and surrounding Lake County area residents can expect to save up to 50 percent on brand name, quality foods and merchandise at the new Grocery Outlet, the largest “extreme-value” grocer in the U.S.

The new store, located in the Burns Valley Mall at 14806 Olympic Drive, is located directly across the street from the Rite-Aid and Lakeshore Fire Department.

In a time when mom-and-pop shops – let alone large corporations – are shuttering store windows instead of opening them, the Beares are striking out on a new venture.

Mitch Beare, originally from Sonoma County and a resident of Lakeport for almost 25 years with wife Carol and six children, has been in the retail business since 1987. He worked his way up the corporate ladder into management positions for Safeway, Pay-less, Rite-Aid and Thrifty.

Carol was born and raised in Lakeport and in addition to being a stay-at-home mother to their six children, is a part-time Lakeport Unified School District substitute teacher, soccer coach and PTA president. In 2008 and after 10 years of Mitch serving as store manager for Safeway in Lakeport, the Beares answered a regional recruitment advertisement for Grocery Outlet.

The Beares were drawn to Grocery Outlet’s dedication to the family-oriented credo of business ownership and the opportunity to own a thriving business near the area they’ve called home for so many years.

After a year-and-a-half-long owner/operator training with Grocery Outlets in Lakeport and Ukiah, the Beares will finally own their own store – one that stands near the very location that Carol’s father, Richard Hall, purchased his longstanding business in 1976.

Hall was known for his robust community support and the Beares are thrilled to continue their volunteerism through Grocery Outlet with local nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the local VA clinic and surrounding area schools.

To support operations for the new store, the Beares have hired 37 local residents, many through Lake One-Stop, as well as few from their immediate family, including their son-in-law who will serve as the store’s manager.

Hired positions range from everything from merchandisers to department managers. Hiring at this time is significant, especially considering local unemployment rates recently were reported at 16.8 percent, one of the highest rates experienced in the county within the past 20 years.

The new store will occupy a former Rite-Aid and Pay-Less. Originally at 36,000 square feet, the space will be divided into two businesses. The Clearlake Grocery Outlet will occupy a majority of the space and Dollar Tree, which is expected to open at the end of August, will occupy the other portion.

At 20,000 square feet, the newly renovated Grocery Outlet space will feature a spacious nine aisles of product offerings, an 8-foot premium fresh meat case with all natural USDA top-cuts, large seasonal produce displays, a dedicated organic section, and an enhanced wine and beer department.

As is the case with most Grocery Outlets locations nationwide, the new Clearlake store site will provide a once underserved area with much needed fresh and nutritious foods at affordable prices.

“Having worked in the retail industry for many years, I’m excited to be able to offer Clearlake and surrounding area Lake County residents the opportunity to save a significant amount of money on through Grocery Outlet,” said Mitch Beare. “Our customers will notice that discount shoppers don’t have to shop in a discount atmosphere, nor sacrifice on name brands or quality.”

Even amidst challenging economic times, Grocery Outlet stores across California are thriving, especially in Northern California, where additional stores are being planned beyond Clearlake and the recent opening of the Pinole location.

The Beares are marking the grand opening of the new Grocery Outlet with a host of community-driven, celebratory events.

The store will host the opening celebrations on Saturday, July 24, with an array of events including free food sampling, free eco-friendly Grocery Outlet bags for the first 700 customers, face painting and games, giveaways, balloons, a local charity fundraiser on behalf of the Lake County 4-H and the chance to win more than $3,300 in prizes.

Based in Berkeley, Calif., Grocery Outlet offers extreme bargains on brand name merchandise, with prices often up to 50 percent cheaper than conventional retailers.

The largest “extreme-value” grocer in the U.S., Grocery Outlet has 140 locations in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Grocery Outlet carries refrigerated and frozen foods, fresh produce, organics, dry groceries, beer and wine, health and beauty care, over-the-counter drugs, household products, toys and gifts.

A third-generation family-led company founded in 1946, Grocery Outlet’s mission has always been to provide customers a fun place to find extreme values on name brands they trust. Most stores are independently owned and operated by locally-based families.

For more information, please visit www.groceryoutlets.com.

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Written by: Editor

Published: 18 July 2010