The Oakville Grocery is the oldest continuously operating grocery store in California, established in 1881 on the site of an earlier dry-goods and grocery business dating to 1874. The commercial building features a full-width entry porch and stands beside a Victorian house that once served as the owner’s residence, now incorporated into the Napa Wine Museum/Oakville Wine Merchant. Together, the store and house reflect the blend of commerce and domestic life characteristic of Napa Valley’s early agricultural era. A major remodel in 1921 by Frederick Durant introduced Mission and Craftsman detailing to the facade, and later restorations preserved historic materials while updating interiors for modern use.
Originally known as the Oakville Mercantile, the store doubled as a post office, telegraph, and telephone center for the surrounding farming community. It survived an 1893 fire with only minor damage and continued operation through Prohibition, the Great Depression, and the shifting economies of the twentieth century. In recent decades, new owners, including the 2019 acquisition by Jean-Charles Boisset, have invested in restoration and expanded offerings, adding artisan foods, wine selections, and interpretive displays in the adjacent house. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, the Oakville Grocery remains a beloved local landmark in the heart of Napa Valley.
