IThis fire season, most Bay Area homeowners have been struggling with the ongoing threat of power outages. Dances and weddings have been canceled, plans altered, and lots of candles and batteries purchased. Earlier in the month, much of Piedmont was without power for several days and this weekend there were warnings that an even larger area would be affected by the outage.
The fluctuating situation has been a major challenge to many small businesses, and Piedmont’s Mulberry’s Market is no exception. Throughout the season of outages, the owners and staff of Mulberry’s have been frantically entering the store’s address into the PG&E power shutoff website. On Saturday, October 26t, both PG&E and a later visit from the Piedmont fire department confirmed Mulberry’s was not to be spared and power was scheduled to go down at 5 pm on Saturday night.
Struggling with how to react, Sal Viveros, General Manager, decided to close right at 5:00 pm whether the power went off or not. He was focused on getting the store as ready as he could, and minimizing the number of times the coolers would be opened and closed. If the outage was brief, there was a possibility that perishable inventory could be saved. He also instituted a flash sale on all refrigerated and frozen products, hoping to minimize losses.
In the meantime, on a hike with fellow Piedmonters Kia Conn and Jen Colton, owner Laura Pochop mulled over the situation and the three brainstormed responses. Later in the day, on a visit to nearby Village Market, Kia stumbled onto a picture-perfect solution to the intractable problem.
While shopping at Village Market, Kia noticed staff members carefully boxing up perishables. They were moving the inventory into two large, refrigerated trailers that quick-thinking owner Keith Trimble had rented. Kia shared Mulberry’s dilemma with Keith, and without skipping a beat, Keith offered up excess space in one of the trailers and encouraged Kia to have Mulberry’s owners contact him.
Later in the afternoon, with the outcome of the shutoffs still very much in flux, Laura spoke with Keith and he generously repeated his offer. Since Mulberry’s location wasn’t impacted in the earlier shutoff and the PG&E website was providing conflicting information, the Mulberry’s team was reluctant to move everything that night. Keith sympathized with the complexity of the decision and handed Laura the key to the container so that she could access it late into the evening or early in the morning – whenever it became clear that Mulberry’s coolers wouldn’t be able to preserve the inventory.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. The power in central Piedmont – including Mulberry’s – was never shut off, so Mulberry’s never had to take advantage of Keith’s generous offer. Village Market was not so lucky. They lost power on Saturday night and faced the uncertainty on Sunday of not knowing when it would be restored. Keith’s team was remarkably prepared but the loss of business and product obviously had a negative impact.
At a time when his own business was facing a devastating situation, Keith was willing to reach out and help a fellow business owner. The integrity and generosity he showed are extraordinary, and demonstrate how lucky this community is to have Village Market and the Trimble family. The store is a local treasure and deserves the support of everyone during this trying time. So once you all clean out your own refrigerators and freezers, make sure to stop by Village and pay it forward. The phrase ‘It Takes a Village’ has never been more true!