Soto’s is back — partly. Soto’s Market, which has been at its Main Street spot in East Village since 1919, reopened as Soto’s Marketplace on March 4. Previous Soto’s owners Doug and Beth Lindsay closed the store Sept. 27. For now, it’s a “soft” reopening as finishing touches are made and shelves are stocked. New owners Bob (at right above) and Lucie Smith (center), with butcher Dave Johnson, have reopened the popular deli counter, selling Hearst and Brandt meats, fresh fish, sandwiches, salads, soups and enchiladas. Angel Fernandez, a previous Soto’s employee, has returned. Johnson and his brother Mike, also a butcher, are back, too. Their family has been cutting meat for Soto’s for much of the past 60 years or so, starting with their great grandfather Art Stanley, butcher for Pico Soto in the 1950s. The Smiths are from Hatfield, Mass. They'd vacationed in Cambria in the summer of 2010, then came back for another visit in August. The couple moved to Cambria in November. “We’re glad to be here,” Bob Smith said. “Everybody’s been very nice. We’ve been welcomed into the community.” Hours are expected to settle down to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The store has about 3,000 square feet and will employ about 12 people, most of them part-time, Smith estimates. — Kathe Tanner

CAMBRIAN PHOTO BY KATHE TANNER