Drive-in. Walk in. Bike in. Eastside Mini Mart
The Eastside Mini-Mart, a longtime favorite grab-and-go drive through, has a new look, new owners and an array of new products. It still serves up the same convenience. On Saturday, May 19 from 3 to 7 p.m. you can stop by their Open House and enjoy complimentary snacks, drinks and 10% off everything.
Best friends and business partners Deborah Talanian and Jeanine Scalero bought the longtime Costa Mesa drive-thru last year, with a vision for breathing new life into the local gem from a bygone era. They started with an interior remodel, commissioned custom furniture, and hired a design team for re-branding.
The result is a boutique country market with a curated offering of snacks, pantry items, lunch options and dairy. The beer refrigerators are stocked with brews from craft to Coors, and the wine selection showcases a range of varietals at a range of prices - presently $10.99 - $34.99. Printed tasting notes for each bottle are on hand, and special packaging is available for gifts.
The store has something for everyone, and the aim is to provide customers with the ability to shop for multiple items each time they visit. Choose from things like pasta, organic sauces, shredded Parmesan, charcuterie plate-makings - Boar’s Head salamis, prosciutto, gruyere, cheddar and brie, garlic crackers, rosemary crostini, fig spread, olive tapenade, romesco sauce, hummus and babaghannouj, dried apricots, roasted cashews - protein snacks like South African-style beef jerky, nut medleys and trail mix, Complete Cookies and energy bars, healthy lunch options like roasted turkey or albacore and ginger sandwiches, falafel wraps, Fuji apples, elevated sweets including a variety of Tate’s cookies (gluten-free, too!), Italian pizzelle, gourmet chocolate bars, vegan Bakeology, Talenti gelato and Ben & Jerry’s pints.
Always on hand are must-have Have A Chips and El Toro Bravo’s crunchy tortilla variety, Heidi’s salsa in two heat levels, and dry goods like Israeli couscous, quinoa and Near East rice.
Talanian, a former journalist and art-gallery director who spent the last 11 years working in fashion in Los Angeles, returned to Orange County to purchase the mart with Scalero. Talanian holds the owner-operator role, working in the store six days a week while Scalero, an attorney and the mother of two young children, works with outside vendors and advises on gourmet food selections. Scalero is a lifelong home cook who honed her skills in her Italian grandmother’s kitchen. Both Talanian’s and Scalero’s grandfathers owned neighborhood markets decades ago.
The Eastside Mini-Mart is at 1712 Santa Ana Avenue, just steps from Costa Mesa’s popular East 17th Street. 949.287.6332.
