Valley Fresh Market opens doors in Atascadero

By Camille DeVaul · Thu Oct 09 2025

Family-owned grocery store celebrates grand opening with ribbon-cutting ceremony, emphasizing community, quality, and hometown values

NORTH COUNTY — A new locally owned grocery store has joined Atascadero’s business community, as Valley Fresh Market officially opened its doors with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Oct. 3. The event, hosted by the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, drew city officials, community members, and local shoppers eager to welcome the family-owned market to town.

The husband-and-wife team of Greg and Teresa King, together with their partners David and Jennifer West of Ojai, have opened the new market at the corner of El Camino Real and Del Rio Road. With more than 75 years of combined experience in the grocery industry, the two families partnered with Clint Pearce, president of Madonna Enterprises, LLC, to bring Valley Fresh Market to Atascadero.

“Our grand opening was a long-awaited and incredible moment for us,” King said. “We’ve loved the positive feedback so far and are absolutely thrilled to be serving the North County community.”

Greg King has been in the grocery business since 1984, starting as a box boy and working his way through the ranks of several major brand grocers. After helping open the Albertson’s in Paso Robles in the 1990s, King shifted his focus to independently owned markets, joining El Rancho Market in Solvang and later co-founding California Fresh Markets in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. With Teresa King representing the eighth generation of her family in North County, the couple has deep roots in the area.

With a desire for continued growth and community-focused business, Greg and Teresa founded Valley Fresh Markets in 2019, purchasing and rebranding the longtime Neilsen’s Market in Solvang. Their vision was to create a market that offered “real food from local people” — a place where community, quality, and family values take center stage.

Longtime friend and second-generation grocer David West, owner of two Westridge Family Markets in Ojai, later joined forces with the Kings. Westridge Family Markets has served the Ojai Valley for decades, known for its friendly service and commitment to local sourcing. Together, the Kings and the Wests formed a partnership rooted in shared values and a deep understanding of what makes small-town markets thrive.

Valley Fresh Market offers a full range of groceries, including fresh produce, quality meats, local products, and everyday staples. The store emphasizes value and service while maintaining a clean, friendly, and welcoming environment.

“We want to serve the community,” King told Atascadero News. “We're not here to take, we're here to give — it's very important to us that we have wholesome food for everybody. That's really what we strive to do.”

King said the goal is to make Valley Fresh Market a true gathering place — where shoppers can pick up their essentials, meet neighbors, and feel at home.

“We like to think of our store as a meeting place. People come and shop and see their friends and their neighbors,” he said. “It's a gathering spot.”

The team is also committed to supporting North County’s schools, clubs, and community organizations.

“We're here to serve the community, take care of the community. We want to be involved with all the schools and all of that,” said King. “The community has been incredible. We are working really hard to stock our shelves and to get pricing right.”

Valley Fresh Market is the first to open in the newly and still-under construction Del Rio Road Project. The 11.1-acre project site is mostly within the boundaries of the Del Rio Road Commercial Area Specific Plan, adopted in 2012 and amended in 2020. The amendment followed the formal withdrawal of Walmart’s permits, prompting the city to revise traffic mitigation requirements and modify the list of allowed land uses. High-traffic operations such as fuel stations and drive-thrus were eliminated in favor of uses more compatible with community needs and environmental goals.

You can learn more about the projects latest updates at atascaderonews.com/news/del-rio-road-project-advances-with-hopes-to-boost-local-economy/

Valley Fresh Market is located at 1855 El Camino Real, Atascadero, and is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. More information can be found at valleyfreshmarkets.com

Feature Image: Valley Fresh Market co-owners Greg and Teresa King, and David and Jennifer West pose with Atascadero City Councilmembers and other city and store leaders during the opening of the city’s new grocery store in the still-under-construction Del Rio Road Project. Photo courtesy of Atascadero Chamber of Commerce