Shopper’s Corner: Still Festive After All These Years

December 6, 2022 – When you walk through the festively decorated front door at Shopper’s Corner this holiday season, expect to be greeted by friendly Santa cap-wearing staff, some of whom return each year just to work in their favorite market. 

You might spy store manager Andre Beauregard tweaking things in the liquor department or fixing the timers on the holiday lights. His chief task this time of year is “making things merry and bright,” something he takes great joy in doing. When we spoke, he’d just finished putting lights up on the roof, a job his Dad and Grandfather did before him. 

He reflects back on when he used to tag along with his father Jim, at age 11, in the early hours of morning, marveling at the inner workings of the ecosystem that exists in every supermarket.

“I used to help the bread guys unload,” Beauregard recalls. “I’d go on the trucks and offload the bread starting at 4am and after I finished around 8am, then I would start bagging at the checkstand. I was so short, I was standing on a milk crate!!”

His grandfather was also a big part of the vibe of the store. Recently, while he was conversing with the meat department team about how many prime ribs to order, several shoppers who remember his grandfather Emmet (“Bud”) remarked how much Andre reminded them of him.

“They told me how much they loved my energy and how I reminded them of my granddad! It made me feel so great, and proud.  That got me thinking back on how I would push carts outside for customers. I could barely see over the handlebars! Sometimes the carts would slide out into the street! My grandparents’ friends would be happy to see me and give me a quarter as a tip!” 

Shopper’s Corner has been a vital part of the Santa Cruz community since 1938, and Beauregard says he sees at least one member of the Pappas family at least once a day, including Josephine Pista, who is 98. “She has been coming here forever and she still shops here and cooks for the whole family! She’s seen it all.” 

Thankfully, the store enjoyed a very successful Thanksgiving and had enough turkeys to fill demand (they actually got 100% of their allocation and sold more than in 2021). Shelves remained stocked and looking good even at the height of the mad rush. 

“Everything was all stocked, from produce to meat: nothing ran out and all the aisles were faced out. I could not believe how good we were doing!  No one was stressed out, and we were grooving and making it happen. This despite the fact we only had three registers, due to technical issues! We now have 5 back up and running, but we kept things going with three gals at each checkstand, so we never had lines longer than 6 deep. In the old days, we would sometimes have lines all the way back to the meat counter!”

Customers are in a holiday mood already, placing orders for their specialty meats promptly on December 1. Beauregard usually waits until December 10 to start playing holiday music, but the staff already started putting up ornaments and decking the checkstands, so he relented and Christmas music is now playing. “We are all feeling the holiday spirit!” 

As Shopper’s Corner takes orders for holiday favorites like filet mignon, prime rib, New York steak, Andre stocks the wine rack in the corner with the great deals on meat-ready reds that shoppers love, including Syrah from Sarah’s Vineyard, Argentine Cabs and Malbecs, along with Primitivo and Garnacha. “These are really good deals on accessible wines, and people count on us to have them.” 

Of course, there is plenty of awesome stuff stashed in the lockbox. “We have top notch wines like 2010 Insignia at $50 off the price you might pay elsewhere. We have four years of Opus One magnums and Ridge Monte Bello magnums, and high-end Bordeaux. We have magnums of Heitz Trailside Cab. It sits there all year, and then for one month, I’m busy selling it,” says Andre, who looks forward to pouring himself some of that liquid holiday spirit when he’s celebrating with his family.

Speaking of family, his own kids, including his 11- year old son James, absolutely love coming to the store, donning aprons and being part of the supermarket magic. 

“I changed my hours to not work weekends so I could spend more time with my kids, doing sports activities, but they’re always asking if we can go to the store!” 

He misses having his father, Jim, at the store with him, watching his kids run around, but Jim’s vision issues are sadly hampering his ability to get out. He was not planning on retiring so soon, but still remains the heart and soul of the place. 

“He’s constantly calling me asking if I’ve ordered things like horseradish for the prime rib! Honestly, though, after being here every day of his life, pretty much, not being here the last two years is hard. It is just weird walking back into the warehouse and not seeing him,” says Andre.

But things are always changing. Beauregard takes a moment to praise the new meat manager Chris Sanders for being very responsive to customer input and bringing new energy to the department. Although he has been at the store for 20 years, this is his first holiday season in charge. He’s bringing in new seafood, like sashimi grade salmon, offering pre-marinated fish and chicken adobo. “The vibe back there is awesome! They are having fun trying new things. With the Dungeness crab season in question, we are looking at bringing in some frozen from the East Coast or Alaska.”

These challenges are becoming more predictable, and while some might rail against their traditions being upended, the impact of climate change is starkly visible in the food chain. Beauregard takes a flexible view. “Let’s move forward: we cannot dwell on the past.”  Maybe it’s time for a new tradition? They always have Mary’s ducks in the freezer and they can get you a goose if you feel in a Dickens mood. “One of our seasonal butchers cooks a goose every year for Christmas!” he says. 

While Santa Cruz might be a vegan’s paradise, Christmas means red meat to many. Shopper’s already has 50 cases of prime rib ready to go. “We also have a bacon and rosemary wrapped filet mignon, that is tied with a cap off a prime rib: it’s a beautiful sight!” 

For the Christmas feast, Beauregard usually recommends a Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a Bordeaux blend to start, followed by one of his favorite Napa Cabs, like Duckhorn and Silver Oak. “The most expensive wine in the store right now, and it’s a good deal, is the 2004 Penfolds Grange on sale for $400. It would cost $479 if I bought it now!” (Actually, I saw this wine, mostly Syrah with 4% Cabernet, done in new American oak hogsheads, for $759 on wine.com)

Shopper’s Corner still employs the same number of people it always has, between 80 and 90. “We’re close to 90 during the holidays. We have a butcher who comes back just for the holidays and four women who work here but went off to college, come back to work during their winter break. It makes it so fun! I had a friend who had worked here for 10 years and then left, come back after 8 years to help me out last year when we were short-staffed (Covid). He stepped right in! We are still doing the same things the way we have always done them.” 

And they are still proudly doing business with the same suppliers they have from the beginning. “We were able to get enough turkeys for Thanksgiving, despite the shortages, because Diestel values its long relationships with small family markets like ours,” says Beauregard. Take eggnog: they especially like the one from Bud’s ice cream in San Francisco that they’ve been getting for decades.

While he usually recommends brandy for eggnog, he also likes whiskey and rum. “The other popular Christmas spirit is Calvados, and we have three really good ones from France. We try to get the best ones we could. We have one that you can cook with, priced at $30 to $50. We also sell a lot of Grand Marnier.” 

This is the time of year when alcohol deals are plentiful, as it’s fiscal year-end close for the big wholesalers. “They are comfortable offering great deals to independents like us, and we love passing them on to our customers!” 

Asked whether he prefers Hennessey or Remy Martin, he says he actually likes D’ussé VSOP Cognac. “It comes in a short bottle with a metal plaque and is really delicious. It’s got great texture and body and I love it. Retails for around $50.” Right now, he says the Single Malts are flying out the door. And then, there’s wine. 

“I always say that the person who has everything will always appreciate more wine. Can’t go wrong with Veuve or Roederer Estate. For New Year’s, we have Dom and Perrier-Jouët, Cristalle and Belle Epoch. We also do free gift wrapping.”  

Beauregard admits that although the wine department has long been his baby, now that he runs the whole store, he has to delegate responsibilities and let others do their part. His dauntless work ethic is rewarded daily, as his team appreciates the example he sets and have taken it to heart. 

Always paying attention to the details, right now he’s making sure there is chestnut puree for risotto and that they have the right Sancerrre’s and maybe pizza wine, because crab might not come in. “If I see something that needs to be done, I just take over and do it,” says Beauregard. “That’s what I do. I walk around the store and see what needs to be touched up. I have spent my life in this store. I just float and fix.”

And with his son James at the ready, a fourth generation of Beauregards will doubtless keep Shopper’s Corner on its game. The store is definitely in their genes.