In 1959, my parents realized the American dream and bought a brand-new, three-bed, two-bath home on Rose Avenue, just off Laurel Lane. My sister Carol and I could walk the few blocks to Sinsheimer School, and we shopped at the market right there across from the fire station.

Many times we were dispatched by mom to get milk and bread and, if we were really lucky, candy bars. The market was a part of our daily life for many years. Though it had its share of different owners, the spirit of the place remained the same. We all knew each other on a first-name basis and shared the kind of rapport that builds up between people when they see one another daily.

Many of us here in San Luis Obispo have history with that building and the people who worked there. I would ask that the new owners of this piece of property treat Gwen, the owner of SLO Fresh Market until Feb. 22, with the respect she deserves. She and others are the gatekeepers of memories of a lot the “little people” out here.