Solvang grocery store sells winning $5 million scratcher
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif. – A grocery store in Santa Barbara County sold a winning $5 million scratch ticket last month.
It happened on March 20 at Valley Fresh Market in Solvang.
Greg King and his wife Teresa own the grocery store. King said a Santa Ynez Valley man came into the market, bought his food and a $20 '100X' scratcher ticket.
Later that day, he would find that he had the winning numbers for the $5 million jackpot.
King says lottery officials called the store to confirm with them that the man bought the scratcher from their establishment, which the store manager confirmed.
King says the man is a local in the area and comes into the market every morning to buy food and a scratcher.
"Super happy that it was a local person. A person that comes here every day and supports us," King said. "You don't hear this kind of thing happening on the Central Coast very much so I'm just super happy it was a local that won."
King and his wife own the Valley Fresh store in Solvang, they also have interest in two California Fresh Market stores one in Pismo Beach and another in San Luis Obispo.
During the pandemic, King says the business struggled like many others. He said the grocery store gave out toilet paper for free during the national shortage.
"The Valley has taken good care of us and it's a pleasure to take care of them," said King.
Being the store to sell the winning ticket comes with a special perk as well: $25,000, or .05% of the jackpot.
King says he has lived in the Central Coast since he was 5 years old, growing up in Pismo Beach before moving to the Santa Ynez Valley with his wife.
"It's always been my impression that little stores seem to get all the winners like that, I've had this store for two years. I've never bought a scratcher ever but I bought that very kind of ticket (100X). That could have been me," said King.
With the big win from his store, their new slogan is "Making customers millionaires, one scratcher at a time."
King hopes that with a winning tickets being won at his store, this will bring in more business.
He says he and his wife are in negotiations to open a new store on the Central Coast.
He hopes to see people line up outside his stores, hoping to buy the winning ticket like before.
