Brothers Market touched many families
With easy access to cars and plenty of grocery stores to choose
from, the corner market is nearly a thing of the past. But one
corner market still has a home in Hollister and a long history to
go with it.
Brothers Market touched many families
With easy access to cars and plenty of grocery stores to choose from, the corner market is nearly a thing of the past. But one corner market still has a home in Hollister and a long history to go with it.
On the corner of San Benito and South streets, near what used to be the heart of Hollister before the city grew eastward and outward, sits a cream-colored building with the words “Brothers Market” on a sign above the windows. From the outside, the shop looks like any other liquor store, with light-up beer signs in the window and coolers full of beverages along the walls.
The shop is almost 70 years old and has changed hands multiple times since it opened in 1933. One of the new owners, Armando Rodriguez, has some ideas to bring the store back to its old glory – including the addition of a meat counter in the back of the store and fresh produce rather than just the sweets and jerky sold at most convenience stores.
“It was a meat market originally and we’d like to bring back the meat counter,” Rodriguez said.
The original shop opened in 1933 as the “Public Drive In Market.” Brothers Tony and Frank Borelli got the idea for a drive-in shop after a trip to Italy where they saw a similar store. During their ownership, shoppers could literally drive their cars into the shop, place an order and be on their way without ever exiting their cars – most of which were early model Fords sold from the dealership that was across the street.
The Borellis’ sold the shop in 1941 and it soon took on the more familiar shape as the corner market.
Mary Paxton, who grew up around the corner from Brothers Market, remembered many trips to the corner store from her childhood.
“It was owned by a wonderfully nice family and we used to walk in the back door,” she said. “It was sort of a second home. We didn’t always have to go in the front entrance.”
When she grew up in the ’60s, the family had a running charge account at the store.
“We would go down there and just put things on the tab,” she said.
Her favorite part of a trip to the corner market included a peek at the vending machines out front.
“They had all those little vending machines with toys and different items,” she said, of the bubble gum and candy machines that used to be out front.
The shop changed hands several more times in the following years until John and Ann Cho, a Korean family, settled in Hollister. They purchased the shop in the early ’80s.
Rose Ortiz remembers the family’s arrival well since the couple had sons the same age as her own boys. Families filled the South Street neighborhood and many of the children played at Ortiz’ house since she worked at home in her hair salon, “The Rose.”
“John and Ann made the store family friendly,” Ortiz said. “Within three months, John knew how to speak Spanish.”
The neighbor – whose Victorian house is just behind Brothers Market – sent her children to the store when they were low on household staples.
“It was just convenient if I needed milk or bread or eggs,” she said. “If the kids had change, they would come back and say, ‘Look, I got an ice cream.'”
The Chos knew many of the neighborhood kids and would send them off with a sucker or what used to be penny candy, though Ortiz joked by then it was two-cent candy.
Once, the kids took it upon themselves to get a treat.
“In the back, they would get a gallon of milk and a package of chocolate chip cookies and would hide them,” Ortiz said. “John swore none of the customers were stealing, but things were going missing.”
Eventually, the parents discovered the discarded milk carton and cookie wrappers in a backyard.
“It was a tight neighborhood,” Ortiz said. “One thing that was neat is everyone watched out for the kids.”
Now that her own children are grown, Ortiz’ grandchildren ask for money when they visit to go to the store next to her home.
New owner Rodriguez started working on the shop in September and in the third week of renovations said the process was moving slowly. The store is still open for business during the remodeling.
Ortiz hasn’t met the new neighbors yet, but has some hopes for them as they continue painting and remodeling the shop.
“Hopefully it still maintains the corner store atmosphere,” Ortiz said. “I hope it keeps the charm.”
