Penngrove Market rises from the ashes

It may soon be possible to once again buy a box of cereal in Penngrove.

After a fire damaged the historic Penngrove Market building in May of 2015, forcing the closure of the unincorporated community’s only grocery store, property owner Martin Sessi said he’s in the midst of a project to restore the structure and attract a new bodega with a focus on natural foods.

After sitting dormant for more than a year, the building, at the southern gateway to Penngrove’s Main Street, has become a flurry of activity as crews demolish a southern portion badly burned in the fire. Undamaged parts of the building will be saved, Sessi said, including the landmark Old-West facade that has stood since 1882.

As a resident of Penngrove himself, Sessi said he has been eager to rebuild what was once a major hub for the small community just north of Petaluma.

“I think it will be a breath of fresh air for Penngrove,” he said.

Anticipated to be completed as soon as January 2017, the redevelopment of the old Penngrove Market would relocate the entrance from the front of the facade to a rebuilt southern wing, Sessi said. A former dirt parking lot will be paved, which will also add capacity.

A large awning on that side of the building will create a permanent open-air space suitable for a farmer’s market, he said, with additional outdoor space available on the side facing Main Street.

The Sonoma County Landmarks Commission reviewed the project during a hearing in April, where several Penngrove residents testified to the impact that a reopened market would have on the tiny community, said Stephanie McAllister, a Petaluma landscape architect and commissioner.

“It’s sort of viewed as a community center in a lot of ways, beyond its role of being a store,” she said.

Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, who represents Penngrove, also cited the larger role that the market played in the town’s social fabric. He recalled meeting with county planning staff at the scorched structure the day after the fire, where he pushed to ensure that the review process for a possible rebuild be prioritized.

“I wanted to make sure it was expedited to the greatest extent possible,” said Rabbitt, a Petaluma resident.

Formerly divided across three tenants, Sessi said he hoped to recruit a single tenant that would take over the entirety of the restored building.

“We’re trying to lease it to a grocery store, one that will carry fresh vegetables and fruits,” he said. “We’d really like to see a lot of ‘organic,’ and really something that people in Penngrove will love.”

The building most recently housed the Penngrove Market and Deli, flanked by the smaller Passanisi Home and Garden and Superburger. Passanisi reopened on Petaluma’s Kentucky Street, while Superburger relocated it’s Penngrove location to Cotati.

Tarun Gaur, who took over the grocery store in 2010 and was working at the time of the fire last year, spoke fondly of his time in Penngrove. He said last week that he’s reached out to Sessi, the owner, and expressed a desire to return.

“The community loved us, and we loved the community. That’s why we’d come back right away,” said Gaur, who also owns a small market in Santa Rosa. “Penngrove is old-town USA. It is a lot of loving, caring people there. Everybody knows each other.”

The market closure had an outsize impact in a town of about 2,500 people, said Lyndi Brown, a resident active in several aspects of the community.

“It’s like a heartbeat of the community for news and bumping into people,” she said.

Brown was among those who worked to beautify the shuttered structure after the fire, an effort that resulted in a front-side mural depicting the pastoral scenery of the surrounding area and colorful handprint art by students of the Penngrove Elementary School. Residents also dressed up the still-hobbled building for the community’s celebrated Fourth of July parade, and its walls became something of an unofficial bulletin board.

A new grocery in particular would go a long way in restoring the social cadence of Penngrove, she said. Yet other perks were a little more practical.

“We’re desperate to be able to buy a quart of milk,” she said with a laugh.

Sessi, who also built a nearby mixed-use development called The Grove, said he is actively looking for a tenant that could operate a natural foods-oriented grocery store at the location. The hope is for a venue that would prominently feature products grown in the surrounding area.

“I live in Penngrove, and I want to be able to shop there,” he said.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)