1 2 3 4 Native son lived transition from farmland to destination Jtown Napan life, born to Italian immigrant parents in 1922 (Image 1 above).oseph Vallerga, founder of Vallerga’s Market passed away in August in Napaafter a very short illness. He had just turned 90. Joe led the quintessential small- He grew up on the First Street family farm, land now home to the former Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts. He graduated from Napa High School at 16 (2) and Santa Rosa Junior College at 19 (3, with Kent Imrie), before he went into 5 the service during World War II. On his return, he did what so many other returning veterans did: started a business. The Vallerga’s family had been delivering produce from their farm for years when Joe decided in 1947 to open the Vallerga’s Drive-In Market at the corner of First and Jaurez streets in Napa (4, 5). In 1954, he built a brand new, then thoroughly modern, “supermarket” (6, 7) behind the first store, which was then hauled away. Vallerga’s Market flourished for decades, even opening a market in Vallejo. Vallerga also originally opened several Val’s liquor 8 stores, which he later sold, and JV Wine & Spirits, which closed earlier this year. Vallerga’s Market, now one store, is still going strong, having celebrated its 50th, 60th, and in 2011, its 65th year in Joe Vallerga celebrates his business’ 50th business. Anniversary in 1996. Over the decades, and like many other Napa Valley businesses, Joe saw the arrival to Napa of many competitors—large and small, from near and far—that created challenges for a local business, challenges that he and his stores rose to meet, and still meet. Other concerns that pointed to a new direction for the town of Napa moved in, too. The Vallerga’s property on First Street was sold to allow for the construction of Copia. In 2007, the property across the river, then home to JV, was sold to Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts. Plans have languished, but in a few years Ritz-Carlton guests will likely get spa treatments on the same property on which Joe harvested vegetables as a boy. 7 6 Photos 1, 2, 3, 6 courtesy of the Vallerga family. Photos 4, 5, 7 courtesy of the Cherrington family. S E P T E m B E R / o c T o B E R 2 0 1 2 23
NVLife_SeptOct_2012
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