A South Bay institution is pulling up stakes after more than 100 years in business.
Deborah Olson was cheerful as ever on Thursday morning but having to explain to her many loyal customers that C.J. Olson Cherries is shutting down at the end of next month.
It is bittersweet, but it’s been a great run.
“It’s been an exciting lifestyle,” Olson said. “Our customers are the best.”
Indeed, snapping up fresh fruit, nuts, and cherries, of course, customers are sad that another landmark institution is going away.
C.J. Olson’s fruit stand has graced the El Camino Real in Sunnyvale since the 1930s. The Olson family has farmed cherries in the valley since 1899, only to see most of the orchards give way to concrete and silicon.
Farming was a way of life for Deborah Olson.
“I worked every summer of my life alongside my grandmother Rose, and she taught me the art of selling and how to take care of your customers, and I carry that on to this day,” Olson said.
But growing, picking, sorting, and selling cherries is hard work. There is competition from the big markets and labor is scarce.
The fruit stand is closing, but the fruit will still be available wholesale and online.
“We’re just changing the way we do things,” Olson said. “It’s still about providing good products, fruit, dried fruit, and cherries. We’re just going to do it in another way.”
Customers are happy about that, but somehow, it just won’t be the same.
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