A beloved Venice corner store is about to take on a new life as a neighborhood market and cafe. Bodega and Palms, set in the former Mitchell’s Market, will open Wednesday, July 8, with a menu featuring local vendors such as Fiorelli Pizza, Jyan Isaac
Bread, Häsi Bread, Kokomoo, and Leora.
Tucked away on a quiet residential street, the 100-year-old building that houses Bodega and Palms has remained a fixture in the neighborhood since it opened as a convenience store in 1935. Over the decades, the store passed through multiple hands, changing its name from Jack’s to Gilbert’s to Mitchell’s. Husband-and-wife team Philip and Kaila Neuville purchased the property in 2024 after its former owner, Mr. Woo, passed away.
The Neuvilles understood they had a legacy to uphold when they purchased the market. Its most recent iteration as Mitchell’s, with Mr. Woo at the helm, had been beloved in the community. “When we moved here, the first thing we saw on our block was Mitchell’s,” says Philip. The couple recalls regularly stopping by the market, located just a few blocks from their home, for their dogs to drink from the water bowl left out. Many residents have similar stories. “Some of my best memories are of me and my little brother scootering down the block with my dad to that market. We’d get strawberry shortcake ice cream — Mr. Woo always had that in stock,” says neighbor Sam Korobkin.
“Nobody called it Mitchell’s, everybody called it Mr. Woo’s,” says local David Rothenberg. “You just knew he was always there to talk to people; he was very sweet to kids. He was a mainstay in this neighborhood.” When Mr. Woo passed away in 2024, many of his former customers attended the funeral.
With Bodega and Palms, the Neuvilles hope to add another chapter to the market’s history in the community. “I wanted to cater it to locals,” Philip says. “This is very active and very personal to me, and I wanted to tailor it to the customers, show them we really care.” While some neighbors were initially concerned that new owners would create an overpriced business disconnected from its neighbors, Philip says they hope to convey to the community that they are “very human, very local, not a cash grab or development.” During the buildout, the Neuvilles put a suggestion box out front to invite direct feedback — over 18 months, the box received around 400 responses.
While choosing vendors for the market, the Neuvilles came up with three core tenets that put the community first: sustainable price points, exceptional taste, and high-quality ingredients. “We want our customers to be daily customers. We want it to be sustainable, so the price point is very important,” says Philip.
Bodega and Palms will serve a variety of prepared food that changes seasonally. To start, the market will offer vegetarian, meat, and kid-friendly (think peanut butter and jelly) focaccia sandwiches from retail bakery Jennie’s House; hummus, charcuterie, and dips from Beverly Hill’s Leora; an assortment of fresh pastries from HäsiBread, including croissants and pain au chocolat; edible superfood cookie dough from Clean Dough; wraps from nearby Bluey’s; a variety of local cheeses; breakfast burritos assembled on site; and frozen pizzas from Fiorelli Pizza, which will evolve into pizza pop-ups. Beverage offerings will include hot and cold drip coffee, matcha, Kokomoo coconut milk, beer, and wine. The market will also carry a selection of classic convenience store items that locals requested in the suggestion box, including Diet Coke, Olipop, Siete Foods, protein bars, dog treats, paper towels, sunscreen, and more.
The Neuvilles transformed the exterior of the building with “Bodega & Palms” scrawled in an all-lowercase typewriter font above the iconic — and newly refreshed — palm tree awning. A hand-cut smattering of brown and green tiles lines the exterior and the coffee bar. Inside, an open floor plan plays backdrop to a central long wooden table laden with bread and flowers that stretches the length of the interior, flanked by a pastry display case, refurbished fridges along one wall, and white oak custom shelving along the opposite wall. A window looking out toward the street and skylights brighten the 783-square-foot space with natural light.
Cursive script has been added to the side of the building that reads, “The Little Market since 1935,” to honor the building’s history. Eventually, an orange 1973 Volkswagen van will sit out front with more seating. “The location and neighborhood deserve something beautiful, something people want to hang out in,” says Philip.
The shop has faced numerous delays; the Neuvilles initially planned to open in June 2025 but ran into permitting issues and construction setbacks. Throughout the nearly two-year process, the duo has eagerly awaited the day they can finally welcome customers into the space. “While it’s a challenge, the harder anything is, the more rewarding it is,” says Philip. In the meantime, Bodega and Palms hosted a handful of pop-ups in collaboration with its vendors to introduce the store to the neighborhood. The first event in July sold out within an hour.
“It took a lot longer than expected, but it’s going to be a better experience for everyone who steps into the market,” says Philip. “We’re definitely ready to move on to the next challenge of opening and running it.”
Bodega and Palms will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and is located at 1915 Penmar Avenue, Venice, CA 90291.
