By Mike Kinney
Richmond’s food scene shines for its diversity, and the Discolandia De Richmond grocery store is a prime example of this.
For over 35 years, this family-run grocery store at 23rd Street and Garvin Avenue has drawn customers from throughout the Bay Area to its unique offerings of Mexican and Central American food and products.
The Standard recently spoke with Roberto Guevara Sr., his wife Vivian Guevara and their son Robert, Jr., about their recipe for long-running success. No surprise: hard work is the main ingredient.
Roberto was born in Zamora, Michoacan in Mexico and came to California in 1981. He worked in Napa Valley picking and harvesting grapes. He and Vivian became a couple in 1983 and were married in 2017.
Vivian was born and raised in Guatemala and graduated from the old Harry Ells High School in 1982. She recalls one of her very first jobs was delivering the local newspaper on her bike.
The first business they launched at their current grocery store location was a popular record store.
“Our local customers would come in and place orders they wanted their family and friends to have sent down to Mexico,” Roberto Jr. said. “We would take records they ordered in boxes and ship them down to Mexico for our customers. The record store back in the day was extremely popular. Then we opened a sandwich shop and our grocery store.”
Eventually, the business became a full-service grocery store.
“By working by working hard here, we have created a very successful business that we are extremely proud of,” Vivian says.
The family also participates in community service through its grocery store. For example, during Halloween this year they placed hundreds of free books for kids to read outside the store on long conference tables.
“When the Halloween evening was over, there were no books left, the kids had taken them all,” Vivian said.
During the Christmas holiday, the business works with other stores and the Richmond Police Department to make sure the children all get new gifts for the holidays.
“We here at Discolandia De Richmond are here to help our community when they need help,” she said.
Vivian says the greatest challenge in running the business is the time it takes to make it successful. The store opens seven days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., so it requires long hours.
But the family says they do it for the love of the business, their customers and community.
