Independent grocers across California have faced sustained pressure from shifting shopping habits, labor costs and the long tail of pandemic-era disruption. In Modesto, that pressure is ending one of the city’s longest-running grocery names: O’Brien’s Market is preparing to shut its final two stores after nearly 50 years in business.
O’Brien’s Market has filed to close its final two stores
O’Brien’s Market, the family-owned grocery chain based in Modesto, has filed two California WARN notices covering the permanent closure of its last remaining stores and 117 workers in total. According to the WARN filings dated July 27, 2026, the Roseburg Avenue store is scheduled for closure effective September 26, 2026, and the Dale Road store is scheduled for closure effective September 27, 2026. The filings identify the two sites as 839 West Roseburg Avenue in Modesto and 4120 Dale Road in Modesto.
The worker count is split between 50 employees at the Roseburg Avenue location and 67 at the Dale Road location, according to the state-tracked WARN records. Coverage of the filings by regional outlets including the Modesto Bee and other news reports has described the closures as permanent. O’Brien’s own website also signals the end of operations, stating on its contact page that the Dale Road location will permanently close about October 4, 2026, “but no sooner,” reflecting a final wind-down period after the public-facing closure.
The decision marks the apparent end of O’Brien’s retail footprint. The company’s website lists the Dale Road and Roseburg Avenue stores as its active Modesto locations, while its Riverbank store was sold in 2024, according to prior reporting by the Modesto Bee. Founded in 1978, O’Brien’s grew into a familiar local banner in Stanislaus County before shrinking back to the two Modesto stores now slated to close.
The shutdown is centered in Modesto, with confirmed impacts at two addresses
The confirmed impact is concentrated entirely in Modesto, where both remaining O’Brien’s stores are located. State WARN data shows the affected facilities are the Roseburg Square-area store at 839 West Roseburg Avenue and the north Modesto store at 4120 Dale Road. No other California cities are named in the available WARN records tied to this closure action…