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| - Once upon a time, before greedy traders and corrupt banks and people's inability to save money launched the U.S. into the second Great Depression, you could find a lot of German and Polish restaurants and food stores in the Valley. Sadly, like the retirement accounts of so many so-called middle class Americans, these places have vanished along with their many customers, who no longer can afford to spend money on such non-essential luxuries.
Fortunately, Warsaw Village survived the economic catastrophe, though, like lots of businesses, it did so by considerably paring down its selection to avoid wastage and lost revenues therefrom. Sadly, the shelves are no longer full in this store and for those who remember 'the good days', it's sort of sad to see. Some of the now missing items are in the back; but a lot of it simply isn't carried anymore, because there just aren't as many customers showing up to buy anymore (or so it seems). Every time I want to stop by here to pick up something, I always get a little churn in the pit of my stomach ... II keep expecting to show up and they won't be there anymore.
While places like Jana's Bakery has (finally) expanded their selection of non-bakery items on sale, Warsaw Village is still the place to go in the West Valley (actually, the WHOLE Valley) to buy a wide assortment of Polish dry goods, meats, alcohol, pickled vegetables and, especially, pierogi. Their selection just can't be beat and they don't try and bulk up their offerings by throwing in Bosnian and other former Yugoslavian items, like many 'ethnic' places do to make it seem like they have more than they do. None of that cheap, sketchy stuff is here: the overwhelming majority of what they have on hand is Polish or made by places in the States specializing in Polish foodstuffs. It simply is THE place to go to buy all these things (sadly, though, you need to skip the bread and Makowiec they pick up from other bakeries in the area ... they're usually not fresh by the time you get to it here).
Maybe, one day, when all the financial misery is behind us, places like Warsaw Village will once more open up and thrive as they did in better days. For now, go and look and buy ... you may not have the opportunity to do so tomorrow.
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