New Bedford’s Friendly Fruit, Jansal Valley Provisions Permanently Closing

A longtime New Bedford discount produce store will be permanently closing later this month.

Jansal Valley Provisions – which is the retail shop for Sid Wainer & Son – is shutting its doors for good on May 14, and as part of that, Friendly Fruit will also be closing.

A sign posted on the wall reads, “Jansal Valley Provisions will be closing permanently. Our last day open will be May 14th.”

The sign also mentions that weekly pop-ups are planned on Fridays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. “where you can purchase deeply discounted product,” it reads.

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Friendly Fruit has offered discounted produce from Sid Wainer & Son since shortly after Sid Wainer & Son moved to its Purchase Street location in 1974.

Jansal Valley Provisions came about as a retail location for shoppers to purchase the same high-quality products Sid Wainer & Son sold to restaurants via its wholesale business. The name came from combining the names of the Wainer children: Jamie, Andrew, Sara and Allie.

In January of 2020, Sid Wainer & Son was sold to The Chef’s Warehouse. In March of that year, a fire broke out among some tractor trailer trucks and spread to the loading dock, damaging the warehouse and the Jansal Valley Provisions store. The retail store later re-opened in August 2021.

Once the store permanently closes next week, Jansal Valley specialty products and cheeses will continue to be offered locally at Farm & Coast Market in Dartmouth, Fieldstone Market in Marion, Lees Market in Westport, Marion General Store, and 143 Market in Mattapoisett.

Emails and Facebook messages to Sid Wainer & Son and Jansal Valley Provisions seeking comment went unreturned.