Monday, Aug. 30, 2010

Behind California Dairies' old-time veneer is a necessity

California Dairies retail shop is like yesteryear's general store

Despite being a much larger city than it was years ago, Los Banos still has shops that provide old-fashioned atmosphere and customer service.

One of those places is California Dairies.

The retail store harkens back to a time when handshake deals were common and going the extra mile for customers was the norm.

"We're a store that gradually changes," says Joe Avila, manager. "We've been here for a long time.

"People like the old style. (Our patrons) want to keep it like this. That's just the way it is. And it works."

"We've had people who've come here and all of a sudden said, 'My grandfather used to bring me here every single week,' and it was like a nostalgia thing. That's great. It's fantastic."

Avila was born on a dairy to a second-generation dairyman. He has worked in most of the positions the local industry offers, including milking sheds, feed stores and processing plants.

Avila earned a degree in psychology from California State University, Sacramento, and then returned to work in the dairy business. He landed the management position at the retail store 10 years ago.

Upon entering the establishment, at 1160 G St., customers find themselves in an updated general-store environment. To the left, one can find such various and sundry items as dishwashing detergent, pipe fittings, bug sprays, float valves, pet food, bovine ear tags, work clothes, milk filters, boots, hand tools and chicken feeders, among other items. On the right there is an ice-cream case, a small feed warehouse and a walk-in refrigerator with dairy products, specialty cheeses, linguiça and specially made bacon.

Decades ago, the store was only open to the co-op's members (who Avila calls "patrons") but that has changed.

The shop's focus remains its California Dairies patrons, although the public is welcome.

"This is (California Dairies') only store," says Avila. "It's a little store but a lot of the dairymen rely on us to supply their needs. We have a lot of Portuguese, Italian and Basque people who come in here to buy their food and we cater to them. Not only do we have what they need to work their dairies, we also have what they basically need for their home use."

Customer service is a priority for Avila.

"We don't carry everything in this store, so we have to basically go and find certain items," said Avila. So special orders are par for the course.

Avila gave an example.

"A lovely lady came in for the sausage event they have over here for [Our Lady of Fatima]. She wanted certain unusual cheeses. We went all over the place, with all of our vendors trying to find these three or four cheeses for the cheese display she was going to put on ... She got 'em and she loved 'em."

Despite focusing primarily on California Dairies' patrons, the store welcomes people who are not members of the co-op.

"We're also getting people off the street," says Avila. "We have the best bacon in town and probably the best linguiça there is -- because you can't buy 'number one' linguiça in any grocery store. We're the only ones that carry that. We also have some great Portuguese cheeses from the Azores. We have some Basque cheeses. We have some Italian Romano, fresh Parmesan -- all these kind of things."

The 2,400-square-foot store and its customers give Avila much satisfaction.

"I enjoy doing what I'm doing. I enjoy working with people. I enjoy working with dairymen. They are a good stock of people. They really are. So, I'm happy with what I did in my life," he says.