A new general store and artisan market is coming to SLO County. See where
A new market is coming to the heart of Atascadero, the latest addition in the city’s mission to revitalize its downtown center.
Garden City Market — a family-owned, community-centered general store and market carrying local artisan goods and grab-and-go staples — will be located as 6755 El Camino Real, on the east side of the Sunken Gardens.
Tom and Rebecca Nearing always dreamed of starting a community market together. Now, with the perfect space and supportive business partners, they are building that dream into a reality.
“This isn’t just a place to come and buy a product,” Tom told The Tribune. “It’s a place to come and be a part of the community in lots of different ways.”
The Nearings are currently making renovations to the space, which will be open for business in spring 2026.
What will the market look like?
The inspiration for the community general store came from the Broome Street General Store in Los Angeles, where the couple met, they said.
As the founder of Story Partners, a local recruiting agency, Tom is entrepreneurial-minded, and Rebecca — a part-time worship director at Atascadero Bible Church — has a heart for community.
“My husband is an idea man,” Rebecca said. “This has been a united vision of ours for a long time.”
The couple said the city has been very supportive of their mission, because not only are they activating a long-neglected building, but by doing so are also working within the city’s goal to revitalize the downtown area around the Sunken Gardens.
“We are thrilled with the Garden City Market project,” Atascadero City Manager Jim Lewis told The Tribune. “This new retail store continues to demonstrate the momentum downtown Atascadero has recruiting new retail businesses and restaurants.”
The building Garden City will occupy was previously home to multiple real estate offices and at one time a bank, but the Nearings have other ideas for the space.
“This project will add additional shopping opportunities from local merchants and will provide much more energy than the previous office use,” Lewis said. “We have confidence in the ownership’s vision to provide unique local goods, food and drink and entertainment that will serve Atascadero very well.”
Sitting at the corner of El Camino Real and East Mall, the building’s new exterior will mesh with the new design of downtown.
Construction on the 4,000-square-foot space will begin in the new year, the Nearings said.
Outer renovations will include remodeling the storefront to include a wrap-around porch, an outdoor produce stall and a main entrance with a trellis archway.
Inside the building, a second-story mezzanine will add another 1,000-square-feet of floor space.
The Nearings imagine a dynamic but cohesive market, with the general store as the anchor for various vendors and a diverse offering of different products and everyday essentials.
They picture having rentable grab-and-go picnic baskets for a day in the park, a build-your-own charcuterie station, a plant corner, fresh flowers and more.
The couple want to invite local vendors and artisans to sell their own goods in the shop, but also to lead community engagement events and workshops.
They hope to eventually have a rotating vendor stall for the city’s Junior CEO program, where young entrepreneurs in the program can sell their products. The Nearings oldest son, who is 10-years-old, participates in this program, Rebecca said.
The building also has a walk-in safe — a remanent of when the property was occupied by a bank — which the Nearings plan to renovate into a wine cellar and book-nook that can double as a conference space that can be reserved by the public for meetings after store hours.
“This is more than a general store,” Rebecca said. “We want it to be a community space.”
With the backside of the building pushing up against the Atascadero Creek, the couple wants to activate the outdoor area with a creek-facing patio, complete with tables, seating and room for live music acts to perform.
Down the line, they hope to add a “Tom Sawyer-esque” kids play area with woodsy, tree fort structures that blend in with the natural landscape, as opposed to a traditional bright plastic playground. They also hope to eventually add a vintage trailer food court outside, Tom said.
The market’s name — Garden City — is also a nod to the history of the city, which was exemplary of the 20th century urban planning movement to create self-sufficient communities.
In a 1915 Australian Public Works Department report, Atascadero was named in reference to this movement as “one of the most remarkable and successful developments in the history of the world,” the Atascadero News reported.
“We want to grow that sense of community and town pride,” Tom said.
Garden City is hiring
With an expected opening date this coming spring, Tom and Rebecca are searching for employees and vendor partners who share their vision for “next level hospitality,” they said.
Anyone interested can email the Nearings at info@gardencity-market.com or send a direct message to @garden.city.market on Instagram.
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
