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Business Profile 

By Lee Sutter
Steve Dennell helps Tom Palmer with the Saturday barbeque at R Country Market in Los Olivos. Dennell bought the long-established Los Olivos market eight years ago, and this year opened another R Country Market on Edison Street in Santa Ynez.

After a serious accident changed his life plan
Steve Dennell started anew in Los Olivos.



Steve Dennell, owner of R Country Market, has been watching the Valley grow for a couple of decades.
"I always thought this was an up-and-coming area, with all the vineyards," Dennell said, recalling his early impressions of the Santa Ynez Valley. He called that one right. He's lately seen wine-tasting rooms in Los Olivos burst out like clusters of grapes among the art galleries and eateries.

Last year he figured it was time for his own business to join the trend, not with a tasting room or gallery, but by opening up a second R Country Market, this time in the nearby historical Old West town of Santa Ynez. He's been enjoying the success of his Los Olivos store since he bought the long-established business seven years ago, but he wanted an additional venue to sell his popular beef barbecue.

"I think our best attraction is when we do our tri-tip sandwiches," he said during a talk at one of the tables in his Los Olivos market. The new location on Edison just off of Highway 246 suited him just fine for the new venture.

Taking on another store was a gamble, but it's paying off for Dennell. The revamped corner spot sells the basics: beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, a few staples and assorted sundries, but its main attraction is a deli with some tasty offerings, including a great selection of salads. Customers have a choice of inside or patio seating. Plus there's plenty of parking in the lot and, if that overflows, the undeveloped section of frontage road, Numancia, has ample parking space.

Dennell's pride in the new business is evident as he described it as being "clean and friendly." He had the building gutted and completely remodeled. "It's so opened up," he said. "Everything is new inside." He's especially pleased with the floor's paint-and-concrete overlay. The texture and golden-brown hue resembles rawhide, fitting in with the theme of the town's western heritage.

Steve Dennell races a criterium during his days as a professional bicycle racer. His racing career was finished by injuries he suffered in 1988 when a drunk driver plowed into the group of bicyclists he was riding with.
Dennell's been hustling to get a permit so his customers can sip a brew or local wine on the side patio, while enjoying a salad or sandwich from the deli. Once he gets that license, he hopes to feature musicians playing tunes on weekends, as they occasionally do at the Los Olivos site.

Dennell says the locals and Valley visitors seem happy with the new place, which is handy for travelers, too, as it's the first market after drivers turn off of Highway 154. "People love it," he said. The hours are convenient for area workers, as well, opening up at 6 a.m.

"Our breakfast crowd's really big," Dennell added, as they are lured by the breakfast burritos, egg-and-cheese English muffins, and the gourmet coffee. "It's a busy little place in the morning." And although being busy pays the bills, Dennell said what he loves about Los Olivos and Santa Ynez, in addition to their small-town atmosphere, is that the crowds thin out noticeably during the week. "It's really mellow." Those qualities are what first attracted him to the area when he was in his late teens.

The tourists have other reasons for visiting, and it's no longer just Solvang's Danish charms. Dennell got a kick out of a couple of women from Europe who stopped by recently and told him that the Valley was their primary reason for traveling to the United States.

"They came here because of the movie Sideways, he said, referring to the locally shot film that became an international hit. He was tickeled when the women questioned him about his store's wine offerings, wondering what he could recommend. Dennell leaves that up to the local wine experts.
Dennell acknowledged he didn't have the background to operate a store when he took over the first market just after his 30th birthday.

"A lot of it just came naturally," he said. Being a "people person" obviously has played an important part in his success. "I can get along with just about anybody," he said, nodding as he mulled that over. He realizes the importance of that knack in running a small business. "You've got to be friendly.

Keeping two businesses up and running consumes much of this bachelor's time, but Dennell still finds time to spend with his girlfriend, Helen, and manages to fit in occasional water skiing or ski-boarding on the lakes for rest and relaxation.

Quiet and easy-going, Dennell isn't the wheeler-dealer type, but he recalled wheeling through the area on a number of occasions years ago from his home town of Santa Maria. In his previous career as a professional bicycle racer, Dennell used the Valley roads as his training area. 
During those excursions, he'd stop off at the R Country Market, which has been operating since the early 1980s. Running it someday became his dream and he'd fantasize about it as he rode. "I always just wanted to own this market," he recalled.
In those days, as documented by photos on the store walls, he pedaled alongside such notables as Lance Armstrong. Now, at age 38, the only racing Dennell does is back and forth between his two businesses. And he travels much shorter distances on his bike. Dennell's Los Olivos market is only three blocks away from the house he owns in the town where he's now lived half his life.

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