Beloved Mountain View grocery store closing after 45 years in business

A woman retrieves a cart before shopping for groceries at Milk Pail Market in Mountain View, Calif. Wednesday, July 18, 2018. A woman retrieves a cart before shopping for groceries at Milk Pail Market in Mountain View, Calif. Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 52 Caption Close Beloved Mountain View grocery store closing after 45 years in business 1 / 52 Back to Gallery

The Milk Pail Market, a family-owned grocery store in Mountain View known for its epic cheese selection and buttery croissants, is preparing to close after 45 years in business.

In an emotional post on Facebook, signed by owner Steve Rasmussen and family, announced "the end of an era." The property near California Street and San Antonio Road has been sold and will close in the next few months.

There were many factors that contributed to the decision to close, according to the family. Running a business is exhausting, they said.

"During all these years, Steve and Lian Rasmussen have not gotten any younger," the Facebook post reads. "Cutting the cheese, slicing the meat and moving the boxes of bananas hasn't always been easy. And today, it really is getting harder."

The owners also cited a changing neighborhood that led to a drop in business. "For almost three years, the Milk Pail stood alone, surrounded by hard hats, bulldozers and truckloads of dirt." When work on the shopping center finally ended, the family says they weren't able to get all the customers back who were turned off by the construction mess.

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And finally, the Milk Pail Market explained they've suffered a personal loss. Their "one-of-a-kind" store manager James Liu passed away in 2014. Steve Rasmussen's daughter stepped in to keep the store running, but James' "tenacious ability to bargain for produce prices could never be imitated."

The Milk Pail Market started out as a drive-thru dairy in 1974. "The wave of development in Silicon Valley has brought many changes. It was inevitable that one day we, too, would be part of that change."

The store did not announce a precise closing date.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.

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