Forest Produce Market has shoppers wowed with global options and unexpected finds.

It’s not often a produce market leaves one breathless.

Recently a Pacific Grove resident called to boast about a place she had stumbled upon. Even over a phone line one could almost see her eyes widen in awe.

As she went on, the market seemed almost fantastical in scope: exotic fruits and vegetables, international goods and spices. Tales of lucky newcomers snatching a rare parking space while those in the know slipped through a passage to a hidden lot in the rear just added to the sense of discovery.

Don’t prepare to be disappointed. While Forest Produce Market appears humble from the street, it can also be a revelation. Among chard and collards, there are bunches of impertinent dandelion greens – the stuff of honest, down-to-earth Southern pot liquor dishes. There are equally make-do fundamentals, like bitter melon and parsnips, alongside intriguing items, such as turmeric root and sinqua squash.

“We have a lot of things you don’t necessarily see at big box stores,” says Sal Rona, who owns and operates the market along with his parents, Ned and Zohra. “I’m used to the explaining part.”

Forest Produce Market opened a month ago without fanfare in a space all but forgotten by the daily shopper. It was previously home to an antique shop and, for many years before that, a kickboxing studio – which left a relatively blank canvas for Rona to fill.

He went about it in a minimalist fashion, with shelves along a few walls and tables lined up in between. It’s not fancy, but it is colorful: a step pyramid of Cara Cara oranges, different types of eggplant ranging from rich purple to deep earth, a splash of greens and golds in varied shapes and sizes.

Beyond the selection of produce, there are spices and packaged goods from around the world – more than 1,000 items on the shelves. No wonder the little market seems like a carnival surprise to many when they first walk through the door.

Yet there are several international shops and produce markets in Monterey County, so the concept should not seem extraordinary. Indeed, while the emergence of supermarkets – particularly following World War II – made convenience popular and shuttered many neighborhood markets and produce stands, American buying habits have changed. People are willing to seek out freshness and variety.

In the two decades between 1994 and 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a 371-percent increase in the number of farmers markets listed in the country. Family groceries like Star Market in Salinas and Grove Market in Pacific Grove thrive. Independent butchers are finding a niche, if Seaside’s The Meatery is evidence. The return of dedicated produce markets to the mainstream is not that much of a stretch.

Rona’s accomplishment is to bring the concepts of produce market and international market together in a manner that is familiar to the grocery store shopper.

Near a wicker basket of aloe vera fronds are the same bags of prepared celery found anywhere. Next to rice of differing grains sit the recognizable grocery brands.

“We put together a market for everyone,” Rona says. “That’s what we were going for.”

Grocery shopping is more inclusive nowadays, Rona believes. People are more willing to pick up quality items from small operations in addition to the convenience of large stores. His goal with Forest Produce Market is not to compete with the brand names, but to offer another option, with a more personal touch.

One recent afternoon, a returning guest thanks the family for setting up shop. Moments later, someone who found the market by chance exclaims a “wow,” followed by “how long have you been here?”

The most frequent question is “where do I park?” But that’s part of a process that Rona hopes will lead to success. Once inside, he expects that many shoppers will return. And that those who discover the unexpected pick up their phones and spread the word.

FOREST PRODUCE MARKET, 1169 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. Open daily 8am-8pm. 747-1119.