Potrero Hill residents Kayren Hudiburgh and Lester Zeidman have long nurtured The Good Life Grocery, a natural foods store located at 1524 20th Street. Together, the duo weathered the COVID pandemic, 2008 recession, and different turns of fortune for close to five decades.
Good Life Grocery’s Bernal Heights location, at 448 Cortland Avenue, opened in 1991. Both stores feature deli counters and homemade desserts, sushi, seafood, and produce, with prepared foods made in-house daily. Catering is also available.
Hudiburgh and Zeidman pride themselves on vending locally made and organic products. Hudiburgh’s favorites include organic berries from Medina Berry Farms in Watsonville, organic grapes from Benzler Farms in Fresno, and sweet corn from Dwelley Family Farms in Brentwood. Hudiburgh also sources from the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market.
“Fresh fruit bowls made daily, entrees from our deli, and our new pre-cut produce items that save our shoppers a lot of time are new additions,” said Hudiburgh. “It’s great seeing our neighbors come and shop, getting to know lots of people and watching young folks grow up before our eyes.”
The Good Life Grocery has sponsored numerous events on the Hill and in Bernal Heights.
“Giving back to the community is an essential part of why and how we run our stores. The Potrero Hill Festival, the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center Fiesta on the Hill, the Potrero Hill Art Show, the Potrero Hill History Night, the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema, Farley’s Pet Parade, and all the other different activities that the schools put on and need donations for. Giving back is essential for a neighborhood business,” said Hudiburgh.
The Good Life Grocery emerged from a grassroots effort amidst a national movement. The late-1960s and early-1970s saw the rise of “the food conspiracies,” movements of young liberals who mocked then-President Richard Nixon, who characterized them as Communist conspirators. The goal was to offer healthy, inexpensive, organic, and local food, which in turn would prevent the exploitation of workers, limit pollution, and encourage healthy lifestyles. Buying food in bulk and distributing it without excessive processing or packaging became a tool of resistance.
In the Bay Area, activists formed the People’s Food System (PFS), which encouraged groups to open stores in their communities. By the mid-1970s, almost every San Francisco neighborhood hosted a movement grocery.
A group of young Potrero Hill residents opened The Good Life in 1974. Additional PFS network stores included Other Avenues in the Sunset, which remains open; the still thriving Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in the Mission; Seeds of Life, also in the Mission; the Haight store in Haight-Ashbury; Noe Valley Community Store; and Community Corner in Bernal Heights, “affectionately known as Commie Corner,” said Hudiburgh.
“The beautiful thing about PFS was the enterprises it sponsored under its umbrella. The People’s Bakery baked real bread, not soft white processed bread. Later it became Tassajara Bakery. Offshoots of that are still operating, like Acme Bread Company and Semifreddi’s,” said Hudiburgh.
Hudiburgh first got involved with the food conspiracies by buying produce for the Peace and Freedom Party. She joined The Good Life staff in 1976, becoming a partner two years later. By 1980, she’d bought out all other members. Shortly thereafter Zeidman joined the enterprise.
“When we got married in 1982, he and I came to own The Good Life by ourselves. It was through his hard work and financial planning that we were able to grow the store, survive an eviction in 1985, and open in our current location on 20th Street in 1986,” said Hudiburgh.
In 2000, Hudiburgh and Zeidman bought the building for the Bernal Heights store, purchasing the structure housing the Potrero Hill outlet sixteen years later. The two locations collectively employ 70 people.
Hudiburgh’s favors local farmers who sell to the store directly, small cheesemakers, primarily based in Sonoma County, and Earl’s Organic Produce, which sources from local farmers. Founder Earl Herrick started the business by operating out of his truck in 1976. Hudiburgh still buys from Veritable Vegetable, a women-owned organic produce distribution vendor based in the City and established in 1974.
“The biggest emphasis was on organic produce. The founders of the community stores began a whole new industry of local and/or organic fruits and vegetables. They’re the reason most companies at the wholesale produce market carry both conventional and organic produce,” said Hudiburgh.
Hudiburgh and Zeidman originally met at The Mayflower, a bar located at the corner of 18th and Connecticut streets.
“He was a bartender there. I regularly traveled the three doors down from the store to have the Happy Hour specials at 50 cents a drink. There were only a few storefronts open on 18th Street at the time,” said Hudiburgh.
Hudiburgh arrived in San Francisco in 1969, drawn by the political scene, initially settling in the Fillmore. She’d grown up in Texas, where she’d been a teacher. Zeidman, from New Jersey, hitchhiked across the country after he graduated high school.
Goat Hill Pizza opened in 1975, also at the intersection of 18th Street and Connecticut streets. The commercial strip began to attract other businesses, including The Daily Scoop, Mary’s Flowers, Spiro’s Greek Restaurant, Just For You, and Seams Like Only Yesterday, along with previous mainstays Chips Liquor and The Little Red Door.
“Potrero Hill quickly became my favorite neighborhood. Lester also chose Potrero Hill. Both of us lived in various places on the Hill until we were lucky enough to buy our home on Carolina Street in 1984,” said Hudiburgh.
In the mid-1970s and 1980s, Zeidman volunteered as a photographer and reporter for The Potrero View, writing articles about the neighborhood and its history, especially street names.
“We have both been involved in lots of political struggles. We both have always loved being a part of the business community on Potrero Hill, seeing our neighbors come and shop. We got to know lots of people and watch young folks grow up before our eyes,” said Hudiburgh.
In 2022, Zeidman retired from The Good Life Grocery. Samantha Zuvella, a third generation Hill native, who started working at the Hill location bagging groceries as a teenager, became Hudiburgh’s new business partner.
“It is very rewarding to see her succeed. She shows other employees that they too can make a career of the grocery business. Her work lets others know they can be a part of something bigger, better, and more unique than working for a huge company that barely knows your name,” said Hudiburgh.
According to Hudiburgh, The Good Life Grocery’s most recent challenge was riding out “the pandemic storm,” staying open daily.
“Sometimes we opened a little later because deliveries were unpredictable. We all felt like this was our time to show the community that we were there. The staff was ready to help. It was our goal to feed our neighbors,” said Hudiburgh.
During the pandemic The Good Life Grocery rewarded its staff with weekly bonuses through the end of 2021.
As part of the Potrero Hill Festival The Good Life Grocery sets up a farmers’ market with local produce for sale under three tents, offering hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and other goodies. During Christmas the Hill store has brought Santa Claus to 20th Street.
“We live in a small community, and we need all these events to bring us together, to have fun together and to solve problems together. Small businesses help to create that necessary link, getting folks out of their houses,” said Hudiburgh. “It takes all of us to share the load and the laughter. Let’s meet each other in these special places and get involved. There’s plenty of work to do!”
