SLO gift basket shop is closing after ’36 years of fun.’ This is why

Kaytlyn Leslie
Updated ·2 min read
Crushed Grape closed in April 2023, after almost four decades of business in San Luis Obispo.

After nearly 40 years in business, a popular San Luis Obispo gift basket shop is officially wrapping up operations and shutting its doors.

Crushed Grape, located at 491 Madonna Road in the SLO Promenade shopping center, will close at the end of May, owner Gretchen Gonyer told The Tribune.

Throughout April, all local food products and merchandise will be discounted. with prices 40% to 80% off, she said, and all fixtures, displays and wine racks will also be available for sale.

Those hoping to still buy locally made gift baskets won’t have far to go.

Gonyer sold the basket-making portion of her business to sisters Amber Carson and Emily Butler, who own Karson/Butler Events at the Ah Louis Store in downtown San Luis Obispo.

The duo is expected to begin selling SLO-themed baskets out of the downtown spot in the coming months, Gonyer said.

“They’re super nice,” she said. “They were looking to get into the basket business, so it worked out really well.”

Gonyer fell in love with the Central Coast as a Cal Poly student.

She started Crushed Grape in 1987, after moving back to the area from the Virgin Islands with her husband and children, she said.

Over the years, Crushed Grape became a go-to spot for folks looking for a range of San Luis Obispo County-themed gifts, from local wines and foods to T-shirts and posters.

Before moving into its current spot in the SLO Promenade, Crushed Grape even featured a deli, although Gonyer sold that in 2014.

As the premier provider for local gift baskets, Gonyer has made custom baskets for numerous celebrities, including Steven Spielberg, Oprah and Paul McCartney, she said. She also made baskets for a number of major corporations, such as Google, she added.

Gonyer said she is shutting down the business now because she wants to take time for other pursuits, including writing a SLO-based cookbook and river rafting.

Though she will miss the people — particularly the long-term employees she has had for the past 15 years — Gonyer said she felt it was time to “rewire, not retire” and start the next chapter of her life.

“I’ve just been so fortunate to be able to work with so many nice winemakers, wineries, purveyors, all kinds of other products,” Gonyer said. “We’re so lucky. So you know, it was just really fun: 36 years of fun.”