A 1 Market

Love this little place, both the guys that work the counter are the sweetest ever and have pretty much watched me grow up. I’m notorious for going in an grabbing a pint of ice-​cream from them far too often, I’m sure they recognize me for that more Than anything. My friends and I have had some late night adventures for their snack food many times before. Rock on, A1. I’ve moved now, but will always go by when I’m back in town to pick up some chips or who knows what else.
They’re fully loaded for the candy addicts, have an ATM machine, and also have decent produce. What more could you ask for?

I love this place! The store owner, Sam, is friendly and helpful. They’ve got a tremendous variety of items and I love their produce especially. The prices are what you’d expect for a convenience store, but they do pay quite a bit of attention to the quality of items they have. How many convenience stores do you know that stock cage-​free eggs and fresh fruit and veggies?

I have only gone here under new management. What a gem of an owner and the selection is upscale in addition to normal convenience store fare. They have consistent long hours and it’s clean. Perfect representation of Alameda’s taste and diversity.

This store has been under new ownership for the last few years. Sam and his wife now run the «little store» as my 4-​year old friend would say and they have brought in many new products as well as a variety of organic foods and produce, fresh veggies and fruits, frozen foods and ice cream, if you’re looking for something sweet.
Cross-​street: Encinal and Benton, two blocks from the Encinal /​Central Avenue transition (merge/​split).

great little store!

Sam has done a fantastic job of making this so much more than your typical convenience store. First off, very friendly. A nice selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus a good selection of items that are cooking ingredients, not just junk food. My hat is off to Sam for doing such a great job. Way to go!

I’ve been shopping at A-​1 for years (seriously, I would buy candy on my way home from kindergarten). At 25, I’m still in there at least twice a week. It’s conveniently located next to Jay’s coffee and Franklin Park. I absolutely love how they’ve started selling organic and natural foods. I’m consistently forgetting dinner ingredients and this place is a life saver. It’s also really nice to have a place that sells Kombucha and other yummy beverages within walking distance. Definitely 5 stars!

I’m glad this place exists. I live in a place where my «kitchen» is a tiny compact refrigerator, and a tiny single burner electric thingie. And living on the Webster St side of Alameda, there is nowhere to go for fresh vegetables that leans toward the organic side (farmer’s market a lot of times I can’t get to, because of when it is). (I can’t buy perishables in bulk, so need something nearby I can visit every few days.) I finally discovered this place a few months ago. It’s a little out of the way for me, but is a hell of a lot closer than South Shore. Because of this place, I am able to buy a $ 1.79 bag of carrots and broccoli every 4 – 5 days, to make sure I don’t die from malnutrition. And the people at the register are usually pretty decent. Not talkative, but not rude either. I’m not a talkative person, so this works perfectly. Docking one star because I wish what they sold was a little less expensive (they’re not bad, but I’m on a budget), but I understand a small single store has to survive.

This is a family ran corner store. I love the father, he is very friendly, and when he stands up to watch you shop in the store mirrors, he makes it seem like a sign of respect… lol. The son is ok too, but he is a chain smoker and his cell phone is attached to his neck. Ok, I feel mean so I’ll lay off the family.
So here’s the real problem, their food is extremely over priced. Talk about convenience charges! Why am I paying $ 3 for a smallest size bag of chips, or $ 2.50 for a small diet coke.
I also get the feeling that their food isn’t the freshest. I wish they’d be honest like those grocery outlets and just point out to people that their food is old, and to, «eat at your own risk». I go there when I’m too lazy to jump in my car and head to South Shore.

My favorite place to buy scratch tickets. They sell a better variety, I’m always let down at 7 – 11. They sell such a variety of items it’s mind boggling. Chips, milk, beer, wine, booze, cake mix, snacks, canned goods, cigars, house hold cleaning products, sandwich makings, paper products… for a «corner store» I’m impressed! It’s not actually a corner store, it’s not on a corner at all. I’ve always felt like a regular here because they remember the usual customers pretty well. They never mind chatting either, ask them what they think about the weather, or how business has been etc, and they’ll have a conversation with you. This place is WAY better than other Alameda «corner stores» I’ve been to in this part of Alameda.

I went in here to buy some bananas. There’s no sign on the bin. I ask the clerk …”How much per pound?” He’s talking on the phone and doesn’t reply. I ask again… and no answer. So I put it on the counter, and he rings up $ 4.55. WHAT? $ 5.00 for bananas? He says he charges 65 cents per banana. I said no thanks, and told him to get a scale. You run a market, you need a scale.
look out for rip offs

My boyfriend and I like to get drunk and stumble a couple blocks to this shop for scratcher tickets and cigars (just for him).
The father and son who run this shop are always very friendly and they always wish us luck on our drunk scratchering.
This is, uhh sadly maybe, one of the few places where I’m a regular…