This local market hasn't changed much since then with the exception of the addition of a deli and a florist shop
Quality Fruitland has been located at the same address in the same building with only minor changes since 1957. Located at 1487 Fall River Avenue, Seekonk, Massachusetts, the only differences between the store today and when I first visited with my mother as a child are the deli counter at one end and the florist shop at the other.
I remember before the florist shop moved into the building, the entire wall was lined with two-liter bottles of soda in varieties that I'd never seen anywhere else. While I miss the variety of soda on its sticky metal shelves, the florist shop does add a nice scent of flower blossoms to the air.
Lately, a number of people have asked me why I think you ought to buy your fruits and vegetables from a local fruit stand. So here are the reasons.
When you buy fruits and vegetables from a local fruit stand you are helping the environment. You are participating in the area economy. You are supporting small businesses.
When you buy from a fruit stand, you can ask them what's good right now, where they got that cool strawberry variety, whether it's organic or not, and so on.
The other day, I visited two grocery stores: a large national grocery store chain and a tiny local fruit stand. In the first, the main differences between the organic and non-organic produce appeared to be cosmetic: mold-deficient greens, perhaps, or smoother skin on some of the oranges. But at the second store, the biggest difference was in price.
The fruits and vegetables looked similarly flawless whether organic or not, and the variety rivaled that of the larger national chain--even exceeded it.
The owner of Quality Fruitland is always on hand, stocking the displays and asking customers whether they've found everything they need. He answers all questions thoroughly and truly cares about keeping the locals happy.
What if you could grow fruits and vegetables on your own? That would be awesome! But if you can't have a garden of your own, buying produce from your local fruit stand is the next best thing.
From the Quality Fruitland official website:
Quality Fruitland has been located at 1487 Fall River Avenue in Seekonk MA since 1957, but its roots go back much farther. Abraham Foster, founder of Quality Fruitland, emigrated from Russia to the United States in the early 1920s. Like many immigrants of the time, he took to peddling fruits and vegetables with horse and wagon along a route in Fall River to earn a living. In 1938 he founded Central Fruit Store in the Times Square in Pawtucket RI at the corner of Exchange Street and Broad Street. After retiring, he opened Quality Fruitland at its present location in 1957. A deli was added in the 1970s and in the late fall of 2012 a full service flower department joined the Quality Fruitland family. A fourth generation independent business, Quality Fruitland has a rich history of providing their customers with the highest quality fruits and vegetables, reasonable prices, and top-notch customer service.
Having visited this same location for decades, I can say the owner's response during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic was most impressive. As soon as he was able to reopen the store to his employees, he enabled customers to place orders online and pick them up curbside.
Customers flocked to the store. The parking lot was always full of people picking up the deli meats, fresh produce, milk, and dairy that were difficult to find in those difficult days all from the relative safety of their cars.
And customers have remained loyal. Ever since the business reopened to the public, it has been busy every time I've gone back.
#HiddenGems