ENCINITAS — Details matter at Seaside Market.
John Najjar, who opened the local grocery store in June 1985 with his brother, Pete, can walk around the Cardiff-by-the-Sea market pointing out those details.
“At the check stand, there’s always a canopy,” Najjar said. “It gives you a closed feeling when you leave. It doesn’t make you feel good.”
Instead, Seaside Market has a school of fish hanging above the registers. “It’s open, it’s airy,” he said.
Najjar said ambient music is essential and noted a produce display he thinks could present better.
These are among the many small choices that have added up to more than 40 years in business. To celebrate, Seaside Market will host an event on Saturday, Nov. 8, on its front patio, featuring pop-ups, local food, and live music.
“One of the most powerful words for me is being grateful,” Najjar said. “Think about 40 years, I’ve had thousands of employees. I can’t thank them enough and I can’t thank the community enough for their support.”
The store has expanded over the years, now occupying a larger footprint within the shopping center than when it opened. Seaside sells its products, including the famous Cardiff Crack burgundy pepper tri-tip, at Petco Park and ships frozen Cardiff Crack nationwide.
Najjar said the store’s growth is intertwined with the community it serves. The city of Encinitas, which includes Cardiff, was incorporated a year after Seaside opened.
Seaside sells produce from Valdivia Farms in Carlsbad and Dassi Family Farms in Leucadia, among other local growers. Najjar said that roughly “one out of every four items that goes through that checkstand is a produce item.”
Seaside was also among the first to stock its shelves with Kashi cereals, headquartered in Solana Beach, and Bitchin’ Sauce, based in Carlsbad.
Najjar said “money leaves the community” at competing grocery stores owned by corporations in other cities or countries. But because he lives just a few blocks from the market, Najjar said, “we have a personal connection with the community and the people.”
“Whatever we do, we reinvest in here,” he said. “We’re all about trying to be and develop and help local brands.”
That ongoing commitment to listening to customers and keeping the market prepared accordingly is a round-the-clock job. Najjar said shelf restocking, cleaning, food preparation and other tasks happen 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” Najjar asked. “Well, I’m working.”
He added that this work ethic allows departments to feel invested in what they provide.
“They take ownership of their ideas,” Najjar said of the pre-made items at the “Cuisine to Go” counter. “We love what they do. And like I said, it’s the commitment from the people here and the customers that make this place successful.”
He said they intentionally keep the Produce Department separate from the Prepared Food Department. For example, Najjar said they do not allow blemished or damaged produce to be repurposed into prepared meals — a practice he calls “culling the rack.”
“We donate that food or we get rid of it, but we don’t allow it to go into the deli,” Najjar said. “It compromises longevity.”
Najjar often repeated that Seaside’s success comes down to the customers and employees who buy in. It’s about showing up, listening and maintaining “a culture to be grateful,” he said.
“I’m 69, I’m committed here till I die,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. People here know that, and they’re committed. It’s just pretty basic.”
