Eat, Drink, Shop: New Willow Springs Market Motto
Soulsbyville, CA – The doors of the new Divine Market at Willow Springs in Soulsbyville opened today to a rush of customer traffic.
The original market closed in 2016, leaving the area without a grocery store. It has taken four years of planning, renovating, and hard work to get to this point. Owner and entrepreneur Samir Fadel bought the building in May 2020. He also owns the Columbia Market and Deli in Columbia, which he purchased in January 2022. Regarding this new market’s opening, he says, “It’s a great joy, an unexplainable joy!”
Last night, an unofficial opening at the market, brought out local leaders like Tuolumne County District 2 Supervisor Ryan Campbell, as the market is in his district. Although the shelves are not fully stocked, Fadel says he decided not to wait for the month it will take to complete the stocking to open the market. Willow Springs resident Nadiia Solo is happy it is finally open. “We have lived in Willow Springs for ten years now, so we have been waiting for it a long time,” says Solo. “It’s going to be very convenient for us to stop by on the way home from work or just have a quick stroll and get some groceries. It’s super exciting!”
Located at 20508 Willow Springs Drive, the around 6,000 sq. ft. building, sitting on 1.3 acres, was built in 1965, according to Fadel. He says they didn’t just give the space a facelift, stating, “Nothing is left in the store that was in the (old) store. The four walls we kept and everything inside we gutted out and it’s all brand new, to the plumbing to electric, to equipment, all of it.”
There is also a restaurant, although the full menu is not available yet. Fadel served up what will eventually be on the menu: “The main course will be pizza, American food, of course, and then we’re having our own special food in here too of gyros, a few kababs and then we’re doing a ribeye steak.”
A soft opening will be held on Monday (7/15), followed by a grand opening, for which no date has yet been set. Once fully up and running, Fadel says he hopes to have over 30 employees. Regarding the number of shoppers on this first full day of being open, Fadel exclaimed, “I think all of them are right here, right now. It’s pretty packed. Everybody seems to be happy and excited.”
