Inside the El Sereno GreenGrocer, owner Patricia Torres prepares for business, arranging ripe tomatoes on a table with eggplants and long beans.
“People get very excited about produce, but they get much more excited about bread and pastries. We are honoring that,” says Torres as they smile and gesture to the case of pan dulce near the register and a table of freshly baked bread.
Torres and Erika Crenshaw opened the market in June as a love letter to tienditas, or corner stores, they grew up with. Like those businesses, the couple says they use the 600 square feet to create a welcoming gathering place that reflects the community’s needs. They are also very intentional about selecting products from local companies that are owned by women, people of color, or queer individuals.
“We are sort of the downtown main street shop that is thinking about power and the ways that so many people have been made to feel not welcome,” says Torres.
Erika Crenshaw (right) checks out a line of customers shopping for pantry items and produce. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
The seeds of an idea for a store were planted in 2019 when Torres and Crenshaw started volunteering at the El Sereno Community Garden. They were learning about Korean squash and other fruits and vegetables that are culturally important to the neighborhood’s diverse residents. They also became part of the broader food sovereignty movement that aims to help people of color grow their own fresh healthy food.
The community garden was also addressing the neighborhood’s lack of access to affordable healthy food. Studies show El Sereno is considered a food desert. That label is complicated, says Torres, who explains people in El Sereno have persevered to have “vibrant food lives.”
And so, residents wanted a store, and one day a neighbor encouraged Torres and Crenshaw to open one. At first the idea felt absurd, says Crenshaw, but the pair had taken on a leadership role at the community garden, and the idea grew on her.
As first-time entrepreneurs, the next big hurdle was securing enough capital. Torres has a background as a nonprofit consultant and Crenshaw worked in higher education and solar installation. Banks wouldn’t approve them for a business loan. Finally, with the help of Torres’ mother, they were able to qualify for a personal loan.
Patricia Torres (left) receives an order of vegetables from Aldo Rayas of Alma Backyard Farms. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
A central part of the business model today is keeping their organic vegetables affordable. They sell veggies from the Compton-based Alma Backyard Farms at cost.
They also like to support vendors who are exploring their cultural traditions, like frozen dumplings from Montebello’s Ken’s Porkstickers and ice cream inspired by classic Latin desserts from Sad Girl Creamery. They also stock eggs from neighborhood chicken farm Egg Sereno, honey from local beekeeper Victor Jaramillo, and bread from Out of Thin Air, a bakery that supports recovering addicts.
Bread from Out of Thin Air bakery is delivered fresh on Wednesday mornings to El Sereno GreenGrocer. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
Torres and Crenshaw put a lot of effort into making the shop welcoming — down to the details. For example, they ask customers about their kids, and placed a note near the register that reads “check you out.”
This all creates an experience involving good company and good food, and it can be done anywhere on a small scale, says Crenshaw. She started by asking herself what was in her control to change in her community.
“Because in sustaining ourselves and sustaining the community, it just permeates and ripples out,” says Crenshaw. “I don't have to change the world. But I can change my block.”
