Dreams do come true. Just ask Julie Liddicoat and Brandon Hibbs.
After her first trip to Lake Tahoe last summer, Julie fell in love with the area. It’s a story many locals share: One visit and you start plotting how to move to the mountains.
At the time Julie and Brandon, who had been happily running a Grocery Outlet in San Diego for three years, joked about what it would be like to own a Grocery Outlet somewhere at Lake Tahoe. They were not really thinking it would become a reality – at least not anytime soon. Turnover at locations in the greater Lake Tahoe area is rare.
When the Incline Village Grocery Outlet went on the market in 2024, they knew they had to check it out. And suddenly their wish to move to the mountains was becoming a reality. Now they are even happier living in Incline Village just minutes from the Grocery Outlet they own and operate.
“We fell in love with the small-town feel,” Brandon says. “I feel like everyone knows each other. Being from a big city, this really appeals to us to be in a tight-knit community.”
Prior to their foray into the grocery store business, Julie had been in retail for about 16 years, with 13 years at Walmart, including going through the conglomerate’s management training. Brandon spent the bulk of his early career working as a caddy for six months, traveling throughout the world for six months then repeating that scenario.
He’s been to every continent except Europe.
It was at the urging of Julie’s sister-in-law, who owns a Grocery Outlet, aka GO, that the couple took the leap to acquire their first store. Now they are hooked on these stores.
In a world of big-box grocery stores, Grocery Outlet is the antithesis. There is great autonomy in the GO world for owners because they have a corporate partner who does not dictate what they sell or where merchandise is located.
“This model is so unique and interesting,” Julie says. “You are responsible for your own success.”
Since last December, the duo has been the hands-on owners of the Incline Village Grocery Outlet. It didn’t take long before they were greeting customers by name, incorporating local products like bread from Truckee Sourdough Company and ensuring the shelves were stocked to accommodate the fluctuating summer crowds and run on goods before a winter storm hits.
Regular shoppers at the Incline Village Grocery Outlet will get to know Birdie, Julie and Brandon’s German shorthaired pointer, who has a bed in the office. She, like her parents, is having no trouble ad justing to four seasons even though all three were used to the climates of Florida and San Diego before moving to Tahoe.
Birdie loves her winter cold plunges into the lake – and so does Brandon, who’s an avid golfer, hiker, climber and skier. Julie is also embracing the water, the beach and paddleboarding in particular. Learning to snow ski is on her to-do list.
All three like that there are plenty of outdoor places to explore and that people are friendly and welcoming.
While customers understand that Grocery Outlet deliveries might be delayed because of weather or road closures, that is something Julie and Brandon have had to adjust to. They are also dialing in on what to stock. With fewer shopping options in this small Nevada town, Grocery Outlet for many people is more than a place to shop for food items.
“Health, beauty and general merchandise sales are more prominent at this Grocery Outlet location because there are fewer retailers here,” Julie says. “The market isn’t saturated like it was in Southern California.”
The amount of bedding and clothing sales have been a surprise to them. These are items the Incline GO will keep ordering to meet the demands of customers. Specialty health foods are another popular item in Incline.
“It’s interesting how much more volume we have with produce here,” Julie says, again reflecting it back to a different level of competition in a small town versus a city. Everything about a small town is what the couple is embracing. While the first few months of taking over the Incline Village store were about getting settled, putting a team of employees together and figuring out how much of what to order when, it’s the people – the workers and the customers – who keep them coming to work every day.
It’s about being part of a community – something more than themselves, being something other than business owners.
As Julie and Brandon continue to fine-tune the Incline GO operations, you’ll find them out in the community more, being involved in activities, embracing all that the area has to offer and putting down roots in their adopted hometown.
(530) 581-4298
11213 Donner Pass Road, Suite 200
Truckee, CA
(775) 636-7745
770 Mays Boulevard, Suite 2
Incline Village, CA
About the Author Kathryn Reed
Kathryn Reed is an award-winning journalist who has been visiting or living at Lake Tahoe since she was a child. She loves the outdoors – whether it's hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing or playing tennis. She is the author of Sleeping with Strangers: An Airbnb Host's Life in Lake Tahoe and Mexico; The Dirt Around Lake Tahoe: Must-Do Scenic Hikes; Snowshoeing Around Lake Tahoe: Must-Do Scenic Treks; and Lake Tahoe Trails for All Seasons: Must-Do Hiking and Snowshoe Treks.
