PORT ANGELES — Bruce Dorcy has, in part, a job interview to thank for his new produce stand.
While the former Saar’s Market Place Foods produce manager was seeking another job in anticipation of the store’s closure, he was asked this question: What would you do if you could do anything?
For Dorcy, the answer was easy.
“What I told them was I’d open my own produce stand and I didn’t know why I hadn’t,” he said.
“I didn’t get the job, so here we are.”
Dorcy, with help from his wife, Laura, opened Brusco’s Produce in the parking lot of the now closed Saar’s store, which they rent, last Tuesday.
They offer the same produce as the store did with a few new additions, including Urraco Coffee from Shelton, Dorcy said.
The response from customers, many of them former Saar’s shoppers, has been overwhelming, Dorcy said.
“I’m so surprised to see this,” said one customer, Virginia McLennan of Joyce.
McLennan, 80, said Saar’s was her favorite store and she’s glad to see something in its place.
“I just felt a big hole when I heard they shut down,” she said.
Saar’s, known for its discount deals, closed the store east of Port Angeles recently after owning the grocery for 14 years.
Dorcy said he is using the same produce suppliers as Saar’s, but he hopes to strike deals with local farmers.
“I really want to do as much local stuff as we can,” he said.
The stand is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 2343 E. U.S. Highway 101.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
