Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Shemirani.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My father and his brothers started Barons Market in 1993. They wanted to create a grocery store where you could buy natural, organic and specialty food without the expensive price tag. Our Point Loma store was our very first Barons Market and I began working there in high school, stocking shelves, running the register and cleaning the bathrooms. Growing up, we were always talking about the business over dinner.
My younger brother and sister also worked in the stores. While attending college at UCSD, I worked in our Rancho Bernardo store and eventually became the store assistant manager. I’ll never forget a customer telling me that “organic food was just a fad”. I’m glad that she wasn’t right! I moved to the bay area for a few years and returned to San Diego (and Barons Market) in 2009.
From marketing to product selection to store design, I’m involved in many aspects of the business. This is something I’m sure all small business owners have experience in…we do a little bit of everything!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the pandemic has challenged all of us in so many ways. Last year, right at the beginning of the pandemic, our primary concern was keeping our employees and customers safe. We immediately put in plastic barriers at the register and stricter cleaning and sanitization protocols. We then started working with restaurant distributors to make sure our shelves were stocked with items that our grocery distributors were unable to deliver to us. This was huge. We realized that this made our customers feel so much safer when they saw fully stocked shelves in our stores.
They didn’t have to panic buy anymore. We’ve always said that during our greatest challenges, during the times when we feel the most uncomfortable, is when we get the best ideas. Since we had to close our salad, soup, olive and hot bars, we pre-packaged these items and they flew off our shelves. I think our business, along with a lot of other small businesses, learned to be more flexible and nimble than ever. And while we’ve always felt that our employees are everything to us, I think (and hope) that a lot of the big grocery stores now understand that too. We are nothing without our employees and these past 18 months they’ve gone above and beyond in their jobs. We are grateful for them every day.
We’ve been impressed with Barons Market, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Barons Market is a family-owned, San Diego-based, neighborhood grocery store. We carry a fantastic selection of organic, natural and specialty foods at rock-bottom prices. No gimmicks. Just simply good food at simply good prices.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We have 5 stores in San Diego: Rancho Bernardo, Point Loma, Alpine, North Park and our newest store in Otay Ranch. Our Rancho Bernardo and Point Loma stores have both been recently remodeled. Check them out!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.baronsmarket.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baronsmarket/
