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<\/a>To make matters worse, when Someck first toured the intended space in April of 2011, he was not happy, later calling it \u201can abomination.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea seemed doomed from the start, but Westfield management was willing to work with the local grocery chain, and as of Oct, 16, Jimbo\u2019s \u2026Naturally!<\/i> became the newest tenant within Westfield Horton Plaza. Someck not only found adequate space for his fifth location, the 28,000-square-foot store became his largest.<\/p>\n
Through a series of tweaks in the conceptual phase, Someck and the mall\u2019s ownership devised a mutual plan that resulted in a three-level space within the popular Downtown shopping destination. A walk-up entrance via steps or an escalator exists on level one, the store is physically located on level two, and new escalators and a \u201ccartveyor\u201d were installed to shuttle shoppers up to parking on the fourth level.<\/p>\n
Several hundred people attended the grand opening festivities on Oct. 16\u2014which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a number of speakers, including \u201cJimbo\u201d himself and several local officials who each took turns at the podium: County Supervisor Don Roberts, Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, City Councilmember Lori Zapf and San Diego Downtown Partnership CEO Kris Michell, among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been involved in the natural foods industry for over 40 years and my passion has always been organics and supporting local organic farmers,\u201d Someck said. \u201cI know that these are buzz words now but that has been our focus ever since we opened our doors to our first store in 1984 because that is who we are. We walk the walk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zapf, who said she launched her own natural endurance bar in Jimbo\u2019s Del Mar store decades ago, lauded the grocer for his practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cJimbo believes in local companies, he believes in buying produce locally and supporting the community and I was one of those businesses many years ago that he said yes to and got my business going,\u201d Zapf said.<\/p>\n
Someck\u2019s foray into the grocery store business began well before 1984, the year the first Jimbo\u2019s store opened in North Park. Although his transition to vegetarian had already started when Someck moved to San Diego from New York in 1974 and began working at People\u2019s food in Ocean Beach, it solidified his direction and he is a vegan to this day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of people out there who don\u2019t eat the diet I eat, and we really should appeal to everyone and just carry the highest quality of foods in whatever category people want to eat,\u201d he said. \u201cI eat the way I eat because I am a product of the experiences I had, other people have had other experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
The North Park store, which Someck admits put him \u201con the map,\u201d closed in 1997 and the property currently houses Ranchos Cocina, another local vegetarian food chain. As he sought to expand around the county, Someck said he continued to receive comments from San Diegans who fondly recalled the store\u2019s presence in the Uptown area. Fifteen years later, he is happy to be moving nearby.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited to be Downtown,\u201d Someck said. \u201cWe look forward to serving the residents and business people. There aren\u2019t many stores [here] selling high-quality foods, so I think we\u2019re filling a void.\u201d<\/p>\n
Someck had his construction and design team deliberately pay homage to the Downtown neighborhoods as pieces of the puzzle came together. Old photos of the area are on display throughout the store, and local references abound, as evidenced by the Little Italy-themed deli, the Gaslamp Bistro and shopping aisles named after area streets, like Market, Kettner and Grape.<\/p>\n
The new store features a number of the signature options one would find at other locations, including a large selection of wines and cheeses, a made-from-scratch bakery, organic produce and hormone-free beef, poultry and pork.<\/p>\n
As part the company\u2019s dedication to the local communities it serves, on Thursday, Oct. 31, Jimbo\u2019s donated approximately $23,500\u2014a portion of its opening weekend proceeds\u2014to Connections Housing, a housing and services center located at 1250 Sixth Ave., designed to reduce homelessness in San Diego. The local chain holds two community fundraisers per year, and Someck told the grand opening crowd that his stores had recently passed the $1 million mark in charitable giving.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur community is very fortunate to have a business like Jimbo\u2019s, who offers great food to their customers and invests in their community to make it a better place for all,\u201d said Ben Avey, media relations manager with Family Health Centers, parent of Connections Housing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care how successful our business would be, without working with the community that we are in, it wouldn\u2019t feel right, so we will be actively involved in whatever we can,\u201d Someck said, adding that he\u2019d met with Downtown San Diego Partnership on Oct. 29, to see how else they could become greater involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s our goal, to be part of the fabric of the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n