SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The art, the museums, farmers markets, and trolley carts always come to my mind when I think of San Francisco. Now, I think of Mollie Stone’s Markets, too. Recently, Mollie Stone’s announced that it will open up its 10th location in a former Lombardi Sports store in 2020, taking over the 43,900-square-foot site that has been vacant since 2014.

“The new location will be our fourth in San Francisco, and we are extremely excited to expand in the city by the bay,” Owner Mike Stone said in a news release. “We understand the passion and expectation in the neighborhood, and look forward to providing an outstanding place to shop.

Since 1986, Mollie Stone’s has been a purveyor in the Bay Area of local, natural, and gourmet products. With locations already in San Francisco’s Castro, Twin Peaks, and Pacific Heights neighborhoods as well as in Greenbrae, San Mateo, Sausalito, Palo Alto, Burlingame, and San Bruno, Mollie Stone’s is still not considered as a chain store.

“We’re a small player in a big ocean,” said Stone of the difference between his store and Whole Foods. “We’re community-minded and we service the local needs of the community. When you focus on that as opposed to global growth and numbers of stores, that makes a big difference.”

With headquarters in Mill Valley, Mollie Stone’s began its expansion into San Francisco in 1998 with its Pacific Heights location, where it still provides a shuttle bus for shoppers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Following the lead of national supermarkets, the chain started offering grocery delivery in the city through Instacart in 2015.

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Mollie Stone's Markets