Episode 38: Gratta Market & Wines

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A transcript, lightly edited for clarity and length, follows.

Show Guest: Barbara Gratta, Founder / Owner, Gratta Market and Wines

Voices of the Community Introduction: Welcome to voices of the community which explores critical issues facing Northern California communities. We introduce you to the voices of community thought leaders and change makers who are working on solutions that face our fellow individual community members neighborhoods cities and our region. This is George Koster your host. 

Series Introduction: This episode is part of our series exploring COVID-19’s impact on nonprofits and small businesses in San Francisco. Back in April 2020 when we decided to create this ongoing series on Covid-19’s impact first on nonprofits and then on small businesses in the San Francisco Bay. We like you had no idea how long the pandemic would go on and what the health and economic impact would be on our community. Going into 2021 the pandemic is now killing more people, shutting down more nonprofits and small businesses, along with wiping out the lively hoods of families, neighborhoods, and communities.

We will continue to shine a spotlight on the nonprofits, and small businesses that make up the fabric of our community along with the founders and staff who are struggling to deal with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on their operations, services, and sustainability until we can all get to the other side of the pandemic. Along the way, we will also share with you all the amazing solutions that our nonprofits, small businesses, foundations, and government leaders are working on to help us all get to the other side of the pandemic and come together to rebuild our communities with more economic, social and environmental equality.

Show Guest Barbara: When we opened up the tasting room back in 2015, sort of evolved into this community hub, you know, it’s, provided a safe place for people of all backgrounds to gather and meet and actually become friends. We've become friends with a lot of our customer base here in the community. And it’s sort of looked on us as a community hub. People gather here, and that's one thing that I'm missing as a result of, COVID not being able to see people in the way that we could get together prior. And I think there's a lot of our customers that are also missing that ability to just get together casually with people in the community.

Episode Intro - Show Host George: This is winemaker and food entrepreneur Barbara Gratta of Gratta Winery and Market in the Bayview district of San Francisco.

We’ve been sharing stories about economic development and small business incubation in the Bayview Hunters Point communities since 2015. For more context to our interview with Barbara Gratta please go to our Archives section and take a listen to our two-part series Doing Business in the Bayview. In part two of that series, we introduce you to Barbara and she shares more about her background and her love of making wine along with her efforts to work with the community in the Bayview neighborhood.

Show Host George: I'm joined remotely via zoom by Barbara Gratta, the owner of Gratta Market and Winery. Thanks for being here, Barbara.

Show Guest Barbara: Thank you. Thanks for having me, George.

Show Host George: Barbara and I had talked many years ago on voices of the community when she first started, Gratta Winery. And I'm here today to just touch base with her and have her bring us up to speed on where she's been and how she's expanded her business and how she's surviving with COVID-19. So, Barbara provided us a little update on where you've been and where you're going?

Show Guest Barbara:Thank you. Well, we are, the garage winery here in Bayview, and we started that back in 2006. We opened up a tasting room on the third street merchant corridor here in Bayview in 2015. And that business is still in existence. We're still working with the winery, but unfortunately during the whole COVID thing, of course, it closed down in March and we converted that space to a mini-market because we've had a plan to expand for the last several years.

We took over another retail space in the same building where the tasting room is. And we've been building that out since 2018. So, the pandemic actually, fortunately, did not close us down, but it offered us an opportunity to. Introduce some of the market items that we plan to, have in the new market coming.

So, we did that conversion back in April, May, June, July, and kind of kept that going through the summer, providing essentials for the community and also some of the Italian specialty items that we plan to carry in, the now current market. September we shifted and participated in the "Shared Spaces" program with the City of San Francisco and opened up outdoor seating on the backside of our business on lane street.
And that was going pretty good and catching on a little bit, of course, until this current shut down a couple of weeks ago with everyone in the city is experiencing the shutdown of outdoor dining throughout the city. And it has been this a roller coaster from the get-go of March. You know, we've just been constant transitions and shifts and changes and adjustments and how we run our business. But we feel fortunate that we've not had to close down. We've been working throughout the pandemic. So that's a little background right there.

George: So now with the complete closed down the only thing that you can do, with the market and through the winery is literally takeout and delivery.

Barbara Gratta: Correct. So, we have shifted to the new market and we actually did a soft opening several weeks ago. We've been open at the market, which is a couple of doors down and we have an online store. Well, we've had that since the summer, and we are doing Food to go. We, we offer lunches, we're doing specials a few nights a week for dinner, and then we have the market items available for take-out curbside pickup.

We're not doing delivery at this point. We may venture into that at, some point down the line, but right now you're able to, because we are a market, a food market you're able to come in and we of course have our COVID, protocols in place for that in shops. So, you could either order online or you can come in and shop for your items right here in the neighborhood.

George: And you know, you are really a pioneer there. as both a maker and the form of your winery, and then now of course, pivoting to do the market. And you've been at this for what almost 10 years now, in the Bayview and on third street, tell us a little bit about, what do you feel has been the biggest impact of, the winery and the market and your efforts as a, not only a woman entrepreneur, but also as a maker within the Bayview community?

Barbara Gratta: Well, I feel like when we opened up the tasting room back in 2015, uh sort of evolved into this community hub you know, it’s, provided a safe place for people of all backgrounds to gather and meet and actually become friends. We've become friends with a lot of our customer base here in the community.

And it’s sort of looked on as a community hub. People gather here, and that's one thing that I'm missing as a result of, COVID not being able to see people in the way that we could get together prior. And I think there's a lot of our customers that are also missing that ability to just get together casually with people in the community.

You know, I've, been involved with other merchants. We devised back into, might've been shortly after we first met George, the "Merchants of Butchertown", which was just an informal group of merchants. That had the desire to collaborate and promote each other's businesses. And as a result of that group, we've done events out here and that’s the primary focus of that group is that we've collaborated on putting together different events throughout the neighborhood and supporting each other and bringing attention to the corridor and the businesses out here on the corner and also on the corridor. You know, it's been an amazing collaboration, of small business out here and well established businesses, such as Auntie April's chicken and waffles and All Good Pizza to newer. And Yvonne's Southern Sweets who actually is a mentor of mine to some of the newer businesses like myself.

George: What do you feel are some of the things that your fellow merchants could really use in the way of support back to your point about it being literally a daily or weekly rollercoaster since March, with the COVID shutdown and then the PPP funds going away, and then hopefully, maybe coming back with this new round, but you know, how can folks help?

Barbara Gratta: Well, I think Bayview has always struggled. Along the corridor for numerous reasons. I mean, there's a lot of dynamics that impact the businesses out here in to, in a not so helpful way. You know, we don't have the foot traffic that other neighborhoods do. Third street is a very, very long corridor spaced out and in between, there's a lot of, boarded up buildings, you know, businesses that haven't been opened for decades.

And it's been a challenge to sort of look at the hubs, so to speak along the corridor and how to activate and positively have you known, a different type of impact for the businesses. You know, I think foot traffic is one of the things that drives small business. You know, you have a community of people, you know, and, and getting, and having the outreach, having people know what the businesses are down on the corridor.

I think, you know, since I've lived out in Bayview, since 99 it's over 20 years, I would say the last five to seven have been the most growth along the corridor, with established and new businesses coming down. But I think people still tend to leave the neighborhood to do their shopping and support local.

But you know, we've been on this campaign to try to encourage the community to shop locally in their own neighborhood. And I think you know, organizations like Bayview Bistro supporting the non-brick and mortars that they support and Opera House and some of the other organizations, Renaissance Center help trying to help small business have all been positive. But is there still a lot of work to do, to bring more revenue, and to increase the economy out here? Try to promote that on along the corridor.

George: And so, folks who are watching and listening to this, how can they help you and your winery and market?

Barbara Gratta: Well, I think the biggest thing is you know, the big message that I've gotten from this whole COVID thing is shop local support, local shops, small support, your small businesses throughout the city, in your own neighborhood.

You know, it's, like you said earlier, George, you know do you want to have these businesses continue? I mean, it's been devastating, the number of small businesses that had to close and that's like, so key to San Francisco is having the small, the local, the handmade, the makers. And we are a maker’s district here in Bayview. you know, there's a lot of people producing many, many things out here, and I think, you know, get to know your neighborhood and do the best you can within your capability to support that.

George: Out of the proverbial meltdown, both, health-wise with the pandemic and the economy. What are some of the good things that you could see coming out of this for makers like yourself, small retail food and beverage operators.

Barbara Gratta: Yeah, I think that one of the things we've had the struggles with is exposure, of the types of businesses that are out here in the neighborhood. And I think there's been a huge support to put the word out about, who are the businesses in all of the different neighborhoods, who are the small business owners you know, this podcast right now.

I mean, doing this interview with you as an opportunity to get the word out about Bayview and you know, I think that's a positive thing that's come out is that people are more aware of, black owned businesses, women owned businesses LGBTQ, you know, all of these different, small owners that are working really, really hard to keep things moving. That's a positive that's come out of it.

George: Well, thank you very much, Barbara, for sharing, all of your work and being a, pioneer in food and beverage there in the Bayview. we're going to make sure that everyone is got your, website and listeners can contact you and follow you on social media and hopefully engage and support you through. At this point, it sounds like to go pick up, go to the store, they can still buy your, some of your handmade wine, et cetera. It sounds like.

Barbara Gratta: Yes. Definitely very much. Appreciate that. Yeah.

George: All right. Well, thank you so much for being on the show and please stay safe and healthy.  as we work our way through what is a very strange new normal.

Barbara Gratta: Thank you. I know. Thank you so much, George. Thanks for having me on.

Episode Outro - Show Host George: That’s it for this episode of voices of the community. You have been listening to the voice of Barbara Gratta the founder and owner of Gratta Winery and Market To find out more about Gratta Winery and Market and to support their store go to gratta wines dot com

Barbara mentioned the Bayview Bistro project, Auntie April's Chicken and Waffles, and the Opera House. To find out more about the Bayview Bistro project please listen to episode 23 with Andrea Baker and Pooja Rajani and episode 24 with Rome Rogers from Rome's Kitchen. You can also listen to the story of April Spears and her Auntie April's Chicken and Waffles in Part 1 of our Doing Business in the Bayview Series in our Archive. And in that same Part 1 show, we introduce you to Barbara Ockel the Executive Director of the Bayview Opera House who shares the history of the opera house and its importance in the Bayview community.

Series Outro: We hope that you enjoy the insights, points of view, and personal stories from the voices of change-makers and their nonprofits and small businesses featured in this series. To find out more and get engaged with the nonprofits, small businesses and staff members, featured in this series please go to my web site george koster dot com and click on Voices of the Community to find links to the extended versions of these interviews and to listen to the entire series. After listening to these stories we hope that you will consider making a donation and volunteering to provide a hand up to your fellow community members.

Series Credits: I want to thank my associate producer Eric Estrada, and Kasey Nance at Citron Studios, along with the wonderful crew at the San Francisco Public Press and KSFP. Voices of the Community is a member of Intersection for the Arts which allows us to offer you a tax deduction for your contributions. Please go to George Koster dot com and click on the donate link to make a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. While you are on our web site you can enjoy our archived past shows which feature community voices working on solutions to critical issues facing Northern California communities, and sign up for our newsletter to find out about our future shows as well as shows and events from the organizations that our included in our episodes

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