Mixed-Use Real Estate Property to Feature Organic Market

A small family-owned Southern California supermarket business has partnered with a large residential developer to locate an organic food market below a 1500-unit apartment building in Redlands, CA, a relatively upscale town and the home of Redlands University.

Goodwin & Sons Market General Store opened in 1946

Mike Johnstone, vice president of Goodwin & Sons Inc., Crestline, CA, said the Goodwin’s Organic Foods and Drinks outlet on the mixed-use property is slated to open in late January. “This is part of our vision for growth,” he said, noting that the retailer and developer are hoping to duplicate this blueprint for other Southern California developments in the near future.

George and Martha Jane Goodwin

In 1946, George Goodwin opened a small general store in Crestline, CA, which is above San Bernardino in the local mountains. The store expanded over the years but has always remained in the Goodwin family. Johnstone is a great-grandson of the founder while President David Goodwin is a grandson of the patriarch.

Johnstone said Goodwin & Sons Market in Crestline is now a 42,500-square-foot supermarket, and it serves as the company's flagship store. Over the years, the market has expanded its offerings and has added more natural and organic foods. The company also owns a Goodwin’s Organic Foods and Drinks market in a neighborhood near the University of California at Riverside. It also owns Goodwin’s General Store in the Northern California city of Chilcoot, which is near the angus beef ranch it owns north of Lake Tahoe. Fitting in well with its robust organic produce departments, all the Goodwin markets feature high-quality natural beef. And the company is especially known for its dry-aged rib eye steaks.

Goodwin & Sons flagship store in Crestline, CA 

Johnstone said organic produce has been one of its calling cards in recent years. He noted that organics represent about 20 percent of produce sales in the flagship store. The organic-format in Riverside touts itself as being “all organic all the time.” Johnstone said it specializes in prepared foods and has done a robust online business during the pandemic. He expects the new store in Redlands to cater to the same clientele and feature the same types of items.

The organic-format in Riverside touts itself as being “all organic all the time.”

Over the past six years, Goodwin’s has greatly increased its organic produce offerings as the supply side has caught up with demand. “Four or five years ago, we had problems sourcing organic produce,” Johnstone said. “That is no longer the case. We now have multiple distributors, and we also buy direct from a few growers.”

Organic produce section at the Goodwin's Organic Foods and Drinks, Riverside location

He estimated that 80-90 percent of the company's organic produce comes from distributors with the rest being bought directly.

“Four or five years ago, we had problems sourcing organic produce. That is no longer the case. We now have multiple distributors, and we also buy direct from a few growers.” -Michael Johnstone

Johnstone believes another key to the success of the Goodwin outlets is family involvement. His mother was a Goodwin and involved in the operation for many years. And of course his uncle George Goodwin is president, and he and his uncle work at the headquarters at the Crestline store.

Organic produce at Goodwin & Sons

Johnstone oversees operations at that main store, and each of the other three stores has a Goodwin family member on site and at the helm. David Goodwin, Jr. oversees the Riverside store, while Matthew Goodwin serves the same role in Chilcoot and Caleb Goodwin will be on site at the soon to be opened Redlands store.

“It was my great-grandfather that first got us into the grocery business,” said Johnstone. “Preserving that legacy is very important to us.”