Billionaires Shop At This SMC Grocery Store: Report

WOODSIDE, CA — Roberts Market, a tiny, 137-year-old grocery store in the affluent, rural town of Woodside in San Mateo County, is where you’ll find some of the world’s richest people buying everyday items, according to a report by SFGate.

In a town of just over 5,000 people with only one grocery store, it's the required shopping spot for a dozen known multibillionaires, including Larry Ellison, Charles Schwab, Gordon Getty, and John Doerr, as well as venture capitalists and tech CEOs, SFGate reported.

Located 25 miles south of San Francisco, the 8,000-square-foot family market, now run by fourth-generation owner Christine Roberts, is a town cornerstone and a central source of local gossip, according to SFGate.

The market began as a butcher shop in San Francisco's Lower Pacific Heights in 1889, eventually becoming a top grocery store. Founder W.F. Roberts' sons ran it until the 1960s. In 1960, George Roberts, William Roberts Jr.'s son and a Stanford graduate, purchased a general store on a dirt road in Woodside following a football game, SFGate reported.

He rebranded it as “Roberts of Woodside,” evolving it into a semi-upscale grocery to serve the wealthy residents of the area, which included famous San Francisco families, Sargent Shriver, and celebrities like Neil Young and Michelle Pfeiffer. At the time, George accommodated his clientele by adding specialty items like quail eggs and fresh caviar, alongside his grandfather's Cambridge sausage recipe, according to SFGate.

George Roberts died in 2023 at 89, leaving the community-focused market to his daughter, Christine Roberts. Christine, who holds a business degree, returned to California and took over the business almost 15 years ago. Her father never used a computer or cellphone casually, SFGate reported.

Woodside's small, quaint downtown, accessed under the I-280 overpass, maintains an old-time feel with horse tie-ups, the 146-year-old Pioneer Saloon, and no stoplights. The town features multimillion-dollar homes, like Larry Ellison’s $70 million estate, horse trails, and ranch houses, all served by the same fourth-generation grocer, according to SFGate.

Read the full story at SFGate.