by Diana Pasquini, San Juan Ridge Family Resource Center

Of the many California Gold Rush settlements on the San Juan Ridge, North San Juan has survived as the last functioning town site. “Small but mighty,” she has withstood the ravages of time and continues to provide an assortment of goods and services for those who live in our densely forested, sparsely populated foothill community. Slowly but surely, the face of North San Juan is being changed by local entrepreneurs who have seized upon the opportunity to fill a community need, often providing jobs for others. This article is one of a series that showcases the people and businesses that are changing the face of North San Juan.

Bigleys Market:

Meet  Abby Carnevale

Bigleys Market and Tavern have been operating continuously since being founded by the Bigley Family in the 1970’s. The partnership of Abby Carnevale, Mike Green, and Autumn Gross assumed operation of  Bigley’s Market and Tavern on November 1, 2016.  The focus of this article is primarily on the market; and a future article will focus on the tavern.

Abby Carnevale moved to the San Juan Ridge when she was only one year old. She attended Oak Tree, Grizzly Hill and Nevada Union High School. Like many “Ridge Kids,” Abby left the area for a while then returned to her family’s homestead and began farming. “I’d been farming for the last five years and I was getting tired of doing such hard manual labor.  My business partner, Autumn, approached me when she discovered this place (Bigley’s) was for sale and we decided to go into this venture together. I’ve always had the daydream of having a little sandwich shop. We have a full service deli with amazing sandwiches, deli salads, homemade soups and baked goods. Our paninis, club sandwiches, and blts are very popular. We also make our own condiments. We have breakfast items and ice cream. We make milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits, and cones. The market sells grocery items, fresh meats, vegetables, dairy products, and local eggs. We have a large selection of craft beers, as well as wines, saki, and soft drinks available for purchase.  We also sell automotive and cleaning supplies; and we sell a lot of ice in the summer.”

“There’s been a strong desire expressed for more places to eat out on the Ridge. We’ve started serving dinners on Fridays from 4 to 7 pm. Because we are right downtown this place has the potential to be a fun spot for people to gather. I want to see progress in the downtown scene. North San Juan is a little rough sometimes. I’d like to see a shift to a safer and more positive community. I love this community!”

Open 7 days a week, Bigleys Market is located at 29336 Hwy. 49, N. San Juan is open 11am-7pm, soon changing to 9am-9pm. For more info call  292-3443.