Country Sun, a supermarket that specializes in organic food and that for decades has been one of California Avenue's most visible and emblematic retailers, will shut down at the end of this year, the company’s CEO told this publication.

The store, which specializes in organic food and which boasts a robust vitamin and supplement section, is set to close on Dec. 24. While there is a grassroots movement with customers to save the store, Scott Otte, the CEO and general manager of Country Sun, confirmed that the store will be shutting down by the end of the year because of a decline in business.

Otte said in an email that he had been working all year with another potential buyer, but that deal fell through in early October.

"The shift in the way we (the community/Bay Area) shop for groceries because of the pandemic really hurt our sales, we've never recovered," Otte said in an email.

The supermarket, which is located at 440 California Ave., is an offshoot of Country Harvest, an organic market that opened in the 1970s in Menlo Park and then relocated to a store on the 300 block of California Avenue. Now rebranded as Country Sun Natural Foods, it moved into the larger space it currently occupies at 440 California Ave. in 1980.

The closure of Country Sun, which is distinct both for its colorful mural and its focus on organic food, is another blow for California Avenue, which has seen a growth in vacancies over the course of the pandemic and the departure of several long-standing businesses, a list that includes Antonio’s Nut House, The Counter, Subway, Bank of the West and Starbucks.

Palo Alto officials are now in the process of crafting a new vision for California Avenue, which is widely referred to as the city’s "second downtown" and which has been closed to cars since early in the pandemic.

Jessica Roth, whose family owns The Cobblery on California Avenue, mentioned the looming departure of Country Sun during a Sunday meeting with Council member Greg Tanaka, which was broadcast on Facebook. She called the closure "very upsetting."

"It’s a staple for our street," Roth said. "I feel like Country Sun shows a lot of the character of Cal Ave and it’s going to be a really hard loss for us."

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.