The Independent Edition: South Boston

Now that we've seen the supermarkets of South Boston and Boston Harbor, it's time to check out some of the smaller grocers around the neighborhoods!

South Boston

Llanera Market

Opened: 2004

Owner: Mary de Jesus

Previous Tenants: unknown

Cooperative: none

Location: 260 E 8th St, Boston, MA

Photographed: June 29, 2019

Llanera Market is a small corner grocer, and it looks to be about 2000 square feet. I'm not sure what was here before it opened in 2004, but my guess is that there have probably been independent grocers here for decades. Here's a little look inside.

Eastside Market

Open: 1976-ca. 2021

Owner: Steven Neidhardt

Previous Tenants: unknown

Later Tenants: Southie Wine & Spirits (2021- )

Cooperative: none

Location: 474 E 8th St, Boston, MA

Photographed: June 29, 2019

Again, I'm willing to bet this location was an independent grocer for years (check out that door, which has probably been there for a long time). Eastside Market had been here since the 1970s when I photographed it in 2019, but in 2021, the store became Southie Wine & Spirits. It looks like it's still a convenience store but has more of a focus on the liquor store side of the budiness. This store is in south-central South Boston, just two blocks north of the waterfront and near the bottom of Telegraph Hill.

K & 8th St Market

Opened: 1945

Owner: Phillip Joseph

Previous Tenants: unknown

Cooperative: none

Location: 362 K St, Boston, MA

Photographed: June 29, 2019

K & 8th Street Market is the store I'm most excited to include in this post, as it's a tiny grocer of just about 2000 square feet that's been in continuous operation under this name since 1945. If I had to guess, I'd bet that it was a grocery store for at least a decade or two before that, too. Again, check out the door! The interior has barely changed over the years, although it's been kept up impeccably.

The diminutive store still has a full produce department, dairy, frozen, and a butcher at the back. In a seriously old-school setup, grocery items are still stocked on wooden shelving built into the wall behind the counter, though most of the store is self-service today. Obviously, certain fixtures like the refrigeration are pretty new, but you can see some of the original wooden shelving -- not to mention what's probably the original wooden flooring.

You can see just how much the owners have been able to pack into the tiny corner store here. We're about five blocks south of the Stop & Shop here.

There are numerous small grocers in Southie, including quite a few I didn't photograph, but this is the most substantial one -- the closest to a supermarket in such a small space that you can get. Tomorrow is our final day of Southie, and we'll be seeing several buildings across the neighborhood that used to be supermarkets!