Pickles, credit, and stories: small grocery stores withstand time and preserve tradition in rural SP

Pickles, credit, and stories: small grocery stores withstand time and preserve tradition in rural SP Reproduction/TV TEM Amid rural transformations and the advances of large commercial chains, old small grocery stores in the interior of São Paulo continue to withstand time. The establishments preserve memories, strengthen community ties, and keep alive a tradition that marked generations. On Estrada 12, in Três Fronteiras (SP), near Santa Fé do Sul, a small grocery store opened four decades ago continues to attract visitors looking for flavors and memories of an interior that seems to have stopped in time. It was there that farmer Antônio Scarabeli built his life with his family.

According to him, the movement was intense when the region was occupied mainly by small family farmers and coffee plantations. “There were a lot of people.

We sold everything. Later, the coffee ended, sugarcane came in, and the people started leaving,” he recalls. His son, Dimar Aparecido Scarabeli, says the place even functioned as the region's main commercial center.

“The weekly and monthly grocery shopping was all done here. We used to sell 100, 150 kilos of flour and dozens of bales of sugar per week,” he states. Today, the function has changed.

The small store is no longer a large rural market, but it remains a meeting point for residents and tourists. Among the most sought-after products are pickles, cheeses, and artisanal sweets produced by Nádia Maria Freitas Scarabeli. Affective memory Pickles, credit, and stories: small grocery stores withstand time and preserve tradition in rural SP Reproduction/TV TEM For many patrons, visiting a small store is also revisiting their own history.

Customer Mariene Maia has frequented the place since childhood, when she accompanied family members who lived in the rural area. “It makes me feel so nostalgic for that time which, unfortunately, will not return. But we are rescuing these roots and keeping this history alive,” Mariene says. According to historian Silvio Luiz Lofego, small stores have taken on an important role in preserving rural memory.

“They represent spaces of resistance. Many rural communities disappeared or lost their characteristics over the past decades, but the stores remain as symbols of coexistence and local identity,” he explains. Tradition that spans generations Pickles, credit, and stories: small grocery stores withstand time and preserve tradition in rural SP Reproduction/TV TEM In Nova Canaã Paulista (SP), about 30 kilometers away, another small store keeps the tradition alive.

Located in Bairro do Louro, it has existed for almost 70 years. For 42 years, the space has been managed by Paulo Francisco Araújo and his wife, Sônia Maria Andrade Araújo. “Here we had everything, just like a small market.

Many stores closed, but we kept going,” Paulo says. Besides goods, the place preserves a custom that is increasingly rare: selling on credit (fiado). “I've already helped take care of quite a few families.

I raised my children here and improved my life working at the store,” he recalls. The establishment also holds a love story. Paulo and Sônia met there over half a century ago and continue to welcome customers who, over time, have become friends.

“The clientele turned into family. We have 50-year friends here,” Sônia states. Watch the report aired on the program on 06/21/2026: Small stores become a tourist attraction in the Rio Preto region VIDEOS: watch the reports from Nosso Campo Access + TV TEM | Schedule | Videos | Social media Check out the latest news from Nosso Campo.