John Tsakoumakis has been shopping at the Vons grocery store on West 80th Street in Los Angeles’ Westchester neighborhood for 30 years, and because he lives a few blocks away, he often walks there to do small shopping runs.
He said the store is convenient, but its real value is in its role as a neighborhood hub: Surrounded by residential neighborhoods, charter schools and yoga studios, it’s smaller than average and draws a mostly local clientele.
“When I come here, I see my neighbors and people I know,” said Tsakoumakis, 74. “I feel like I’m part of the community.”
The store, nicknamed “Little Vons” by some regular customers, is one of 63 stores across the state that could be sold as part of a proposed merger between grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger.
The proposed deal would see Kroger buy smaller rival Albertsons, which owns Vons, and sell hundreds of its stores to a separate company, C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc., to address antitrust concerns from federal regulators. Kroger and Albertsons have said they need to merge to compete with Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc. and Costco Inc.
It’s unclear what the new owner, who operates two grocery chains and warehouse networks in other parts of the U.S., will do with the smaller Vons in Westchester.
Either way, customers of Little Von’s said the sale will be a big loss for the neighborhood where the store has been in business since 1952. There are other grocery stores nearby, but residents love the familiarity of Little Von’s, they said.
“Los Angeles is big and vibrant, so it’s nice to have little stores you can walk to and that are part of the community,” said Cindy Widmer, a kindergarten teacher who lives in the area. “No matter what time of day you go, you’re bound to run into someone you know.”
While Westchester Vons may have particularly strong ties to the neighborhood, communities across the state also face the possibility of losing their local grocery stores — places where acquaintances and old friends bump into one another, where Girl Scout troops sell cookies in the parking lot and high school sports teams raise money for their seasons.
In Orange County, five stores could be up for sale in the neighboring cities of Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan, who represents a district that could lose Vons, said his constituents would likely be unhappy with the change.
“Most people have a routine when they go to the grocery store,” he says.
The proposed merger comes amid industry-wide changes that are affecting how and where people get their food. Product prices have risen, in part due to rising inflation, driving many shoppers to lower-cost warehouse grocers like Smart & Final. Grocery delivery services like Instacart have also grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing shopping habits.
Labor disputes have erupted at some chains as workers fight for better wages for jobs that the pandemic has revealed are essential to their communities. It’s unclear how many jobs will be affected by the merger, or if they will be affected at all.
While the West Chester store is noticeably smaller than most chain grocery stores, Widmer, 57, isn’t bothered by the limited selection. He said the store’s customer service is so good that customers often order specific items upon request.
“My husband has this protein drink and nobody else has it,” she says. “I have to hunt around, but this little Fonz always has it in stock when I ask.”
The morning after the list of stores for sale was made public, customers streamed in from the parking lot, many of them smiling at each other and the security guards. Under umbrellas, boxes of flavored sodas were stacked next to crates of watermelon and other fruit.
Inside, Bob Dylan was playing over the speakers as customers pushed baskets and carts up and down the aisles. The store was not crowded, and there was only one cashier.
While Vons is a chain, residents say the Westchester location has made an unexpected transformation into a local institution.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
“This place is a haven for our community,” said Lisa O’Leary, who lives near the store and has shopped there for 20 years. “Westchester is a special city in itself, but this little Vons is like the heartbeat of Westchester.”
O’Leary saw four people he knows during a recent visit to the store, and although there are always unfamiliar faces, he thinks the store’s location gives it a community center feel.
“It’s kind of hard to find unless you live in the neighborhood,” she says. “It’s literally a hidden gem.”
O’Leary said people would adjust if the little Vons were to be replaced by another grocery store. Both she and Widmer said the bigger concern is that the new owner might sell the building to a developer who would build apartments or condominiums.
“What we’ve been fighting in Westchester is they’re trying to build apartments and condominiums,” Widmer said, referring to the tension common in Los Angeles between single-family residents and those who want to alleviate the housing shortage with higher-density buildings. “I can only imagine that someone is trying to take the Vons and turn it into apartments.”
The streets around little Fonds are quiet and wide, lined with houses and shrubs, giving the area a quiet suburban feel despite being next to a busy airport.
While Vons is a chain, residents say the Westchester Vons has transformed itself into an unexpected local store that has established itself in the community. Tsakoumakis said the potential sale of the smaller Vons fits a pattern he’s seen for years.
“You go into an area where you used to see independent shops everywhere, and now you only see the same brands,” he says. “I’m not a big fan of this trend.”
