New Apple Tree Market on Newport Avenue to Open May 22nd

There’s a hand-lettered sign on one of the front doors of Apple Tree market at 4978 Newport Avenue. It thanks everyone for their patience and announces that the store will finally swing open is doors on Monday, May 22nd.

This is good news, especially for OB residents who live in and around the main business district.

It’s been a long, slow saga for the well-known store to reopen after the owner, Saad Hirmez, was forced out of the site where he had his first market – where CVS is now – so many years ago.

We first reported that a “for lease” sign had been placed upon the former Apple Tree site in October 2012. It was a year later that we then reported that CVS was moving into the empty space, October 2013.

And it was in July 2014, that Saad Hirmez, the owner of Apple Tree, announced that he would be reopening  his store in the old, former Bank of America building, a building that had seen several apparitions since being a bank – a boxing ring, the Rock Scissors Paper store.

Hirmez attended the OB Planning Board meeting in June of 2015 to personally request that the Board approve his conditional use permit and his alcohol selling permit. Here’s how we reported on it then:

Apple Tree Market Is Liked

Saad Hirmez, the owner of Apple Tree, was on hand to personally request approval of his two permits.  He also explained the parking situation. Both the two “back” parking lots – the lots that front on Santa Monica – are owned by him, so combined with the side parking lot next to the building, the new market will offer plenty of parking to customers – one of the chief concerns relating to the much-anticipated opening of a real store with fresh food on Newport.

In terms of his alcohol permit, Hirmez described that he cannot sell fortified wines, miniatures, half pints and single beers under 22 oz.  (Go here for more details of the new market.)

Board members were nearly gushing when they voted 11 to zip in favor of the Apple Tree’s conditional use permit.