A Family-Owned West Coast Grocery Chain Is Shutting Down After Nearly 50 Years

It's official: O'Brien's Market is closing. The family-run grocery store has been a fixture in central California for almost 50 years, but that legacy is now coming to a close. The O'Brien family recently shared the news with customers in an official statement that said, "The current business climate has forced us to make some tough decisions. And the decision to retire both O'Brien's Markets was the most difficult decision of all."

O'Brien's Market was first established in 1977 by Charles "Chuck" O'Brien. Over the years, the beloved regional grocery chain grew to three locations across California's Central Valley: one in Riverbank and two in Modesto. But now, "Chuck" O'Brien is officially retiring, and after shutting down its Riverbank location back in 2024, O'Brien's Market is closing its last two remaining stores. It's a move that a long-time Modesto resident called "devastating and irreplaceable" in a statement to The Modesto Bee. 

But its founder's retirement is not the driving force behind the closure of O'Brien's Market. The official statement shared on the O'Brien's Market website reads, "COVID forced unprecedented changes in our industry. While we successfully kept our employees safe, our community fed, and our valued customers taken care of, there were other ways in which we never fully recovered." 

The financial strain of COVID-19 took its toll on O'Brien's Market, with the company selling its Riverbank location to Cost Less Food Company in July 2024. Now, it'll be closing its last two remaining Modesto locations next month: the Roseburg Square location on September 26 and the Dale Road location on September 27.  The loss of this West Coast grocery store chain has deeply affected the Modesto community, with residents mourning the closures in a Facebook post.

In a comment, one  O'Brien's Market customer wrote: "OB's is the last of the truly locally owned, family-owned stores, and its closure will be awful for the local neighborhood and the small businesses in the Roseburg Square." Another said, "I shop there almost every day. I run into neighbors and friends and know most of the employees personally. Every one I know is very sad regarding the closure." The chain is offering customers 25% off on groceries until its two remaining stores close.

O'Brien's Markets employs 117 people, and these workers are also facing strain. While it's a shame to lose a long-running family grocery store to an outside buyer, a notice given to its Roseburg employees and obtained by The Modesto Focus is giving them hope. It said that if ongoing negotiations succeed and O'Brien's Market is successfully sold before the store's closing date, the purchaser may hire existing employees. Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the same applies to the Dale Road location.