_September 2,2022-
Locally-owned Palace Food Depot will close its doors in October according to a state WARN notice announcing they will lay off 68 employees. The full service supermarket, an IGA affiliate, is located on West St and is the only market in this part of the community. Most of Tulare’s full- service supermarkets are east of Highway 99 in the city’s northeast quadrant.
But sources say independent market chain Superior Grocers of Southern California will open here shortly after Palace closes their doors. Superior Grocers opened its first store in Covina, California in 1981. Since then, Superior has grown 
to over 69 stores throughout Southern California.The company website says “ We have prospered in neighborhoods where others failed because of our commitment to, and investment in, the communities we serve.” Their closest location is in Bakersfield. Tulare will be the store’s furthest venture north.
Superior recently announced an expansion about a month ago.Superior Grocers announced in July that it has acquired Numero Uno, an independent chain of 22 Hispanic retail grocery stores in Southern California. Superior Grocers will now operate 69 grocery stores in Southern California- 70 with Tulare.
One the owners of the Palace, Steve Gong confirmed a company would open at this building after the Palace closes but couldn’t confirm the buyer’s name.He added most of the employees will be rehired.Gong will continue to manage the strip shopping center on West St and says business is good “with no vacancies.”
Gong complains that Tulare has not permitted even one fast food restaurant west of the city’s railroad tracks and suggests developers are missing the boat since there are “lots of people” in the area.
“I have to travel more than a mile to buy a hamburger” observes Gong.
Tulare building offices point out there are several large new subdivisions breaking ground on the city’s westside that in the past has been seen as the low-income side of town.A similar transformation has happened on Visalia’s north side.
Besides this news, the vacant R&N Market that has been shut down on Bardsley for some time may come back to life.Owner Wayne Chun says a new tenant will occupy the RN building but would not confirm who that user might be.