If you were to ask just about any retailer how the last few years have been for business, there's a good chance they'd answer: “rough.”
It's been an especially difficult era for independent businesses. Even though grocery stores were considered essential during the pandemic era, it was not easy for many of them to stay in business.
💵💰Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💰💵
Government mandates forced stores to take safety precautions that required more staff while at the same time limiting the number of people who stepped inside stores.
Customers' shopping behaviors changed, too. To limit their time in stores, many people shifted to buying in bulk and going to stores less often, according to a National Institutes of Health analysis. And more and more customers shifted toward online ordering and curbside pickup, which require investments in technology and staff.
A survey of customers during the early days of the Covid pandemic found that nearly 80% of responders shifted to ordering groceries online, per the NIH. As a result of these changes, the 3% share of online grocery shopping pre‐Covid surged to 12.5%.
Related: Levi's shares plan to beat tariffs, keep holiday prices down
It all combined to reduce profits for many retailers, especially independent ones, even as the big-box stores like Costco and Walmart thrived.
Plenty of well-known retailers struggled, too. Major grocers like Safeway have closed stores in the last couple of years, and the nonprofit grocer Daily Table shut down altogether in 2025.
Now, a family-owned grocery chain that once had multiple locations across California and Nevada announced it will close its last two locations after 80 years in business.
Scolari's in Nevada and California closing its two remaining stores
The Scolari brothers, Jerry and Joey, announced they would close their family's two remaining namesake stores in Reno, Nev., at some point in the next 60 days.
The brothers were reportedly unable to reach a lease agreement at one of the locations and decided running one store did not make financial sense because of the substantial capital investments needed to modernize operations.
A little more than a decade ago, the Scolari family operated 21 grocery stores in California and Nevada.
Joseph Scolari opened the first Scolari & Son with his father in 1947 in the California coastal town of Orcutt.
Related: Workers demand change from bi-weekly pay to on-demand
Scolari built the brand into an empire of sorts, working with his children to operate stores in both urban and rural areas across two states. Scolari died in 2017.
Scolari's was beloved by the communities it served, and the family was known for its generosity.
On Facebook, people reminisced about their experience with the Scolari family and their stores.
“I grew up in Orcutt, Ca where the original store was. My mom had credit there and every Fri would go in and pay her balance after dad got paid. My dad would take their bad produce every morning to feed our pigs. Great people,” wrote one fan of the stores.
“Both Joey and Jerry valued their employees and customers equally. Their support of the community and local charities is something that is not often seen anymore. Thank you both!” said another.
Scolari's faced competition in a growing region
Growth in Washoe County, Nevada, home to the cities of Reno and Sparks and several Lake Tahoe towns, has exploded over the past 20 years, making the area attractive to major grocers like Costco and Walmart looking to expand.
The Raley's Company, which owns nearly a dozen grocery brands including Raley's, Bel Air and Nob Hill, has grown across Northern Nevada, and speciality grocers like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Sprouts have also planted roots in the region.
All that competition, along with consumer expectations around online ordering and curbside pickup, made it difficult for independents like Scolari's to compete.
Scolari's has been shedding locations for a little more than a decade, including selling six Nevada stores to The Raley's Company in 2018.
“The time has come for our family to move on to the next chapter,” the brothers told the Reno Gazette Journal. A request for comment to TheStreet went unanswered.
A final closing date has not been announced.
Related: Costco finally rolls out controversial food court change
