Doors Open Again – Happy Produce on Solano

The shelves at the newly reopened Happy Produce on Solano are getting fuller by the day, often with items requested by customers, the new owner told Patch.

Owner Maria Valencia told Patch this afternoon, Tuesday, that business is already picking up after Friday's opening and Saturday's celebratory free tamales.

She brought in organic produce beginning Monday after customers requested it, and she plans also to add a meat department, another feature requested by customers, she said.

The former Happy Produce – in the same space at 1240 Solano Avenue just west of the BART tracks – closed in June last year after 34 years.

A mainstay at the new incarnation is Valencia's son, Fernando, who can be found there most of the market's opening hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week.

Fernando said the market is thinking of adding newspapers, another customer request, and that a number of customers have come for the store's selection of Mexican spices. 

Fernando said the store may extend its evening hours if demand warrants.

The mother and son team said it's their first venture in operating a produce market.

In the meantime, Fernando said he's thinking of creating a presence on the sidewalk in front of the store with music and other offerings for the Solano Avenue Stroll on Sunday, Sept. 8.