Auburn, California, June 17, 2026, 15:12 PDT
- Ikeda’s California Country Market landed the top spot in USA Today’s reader-voted Best Pie Shop list, grabbing national attention for the first time.
- The Auburn- and Davis-based business now has a national angle after ramping up customer voting.
- Barrow Bookstore in Concord landed in the national spotlight, taking the No. 2 spot on USA Today’s list of independent bookstores.
Ikeda’s California Country Market, which started as a fruit stand and now runs a bakery and market in Northern California, was ranked the top pie shop in the U.S. in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards on Wednesday. It’s the first time the family business has gotten national attention. “We’re speechless,” Derek Ikeda, part of the third generation at Ikeda’s, told The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento Bee
The rankings matter now as small retailers can get a fast shot of national attention from reader votes, even without big ad budgets. Ikeda’s is in a good spot for this: summer travel is picking up, and its Auburn store is right off Interstate 80, the main stretch Bay Area drivers take headed to the Sierra or Lake Tahoe.
Ikeda’s calls itself a “farm to fork” business, run by three generations of the family. The company operates an orchard, bakery, grocery store and restaurant. Ikeda’s says it sells over 20 kinds of pies and cobblers. Ikedas California Country Market
The business has depended on passing drivers and repeat customers for years. Steve Ikeda told Eater in 2022 the market isn’t “trying to compete with Safeway” and described the work simply: “We’re peeling apples every day.” That sums up the effort behind its more premium approach. Eater SF
USA Today’s pie award wasn’t the only list putting a local spotlight this month. Barrow Bookstore in Concord, Massachusetts, moved up to the No. 2 spot among independent bookstores, according to Boston.com, after ranking fourth last year. The store deals in used and antique books, with shelves carrying Concord authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau. Boston.com
Barrow’s website says readers picked the store as one of the country’s 10 best independent bookstores in both 2025 and 2026. The store describes itself as a home for “the eclectic reader” in downtown Concord. Barrow Bookstore
LBI Book Swap in Beach Haven, New Jersey grabbed first in the independent bookstore contest, with Barrow coming in next, and Leopold’s Books Bar Caffè, Madison, Wisconsin, landing third, according to WMTV. Sam Gee, manager at Leopold’s, called it an “honor to be nominated.” https://www.wmtv15news.com
The awards only say so much. They’re based on a readers’ poll, not actual audited sales, so a spike in interest doesn’t always mean demand will stick around. Small stores can face a new headache if they win: more foot traffic, extra pressure on workers, and the challenge of holding quality at the same level.
Ikeda’s now has a new national ranking to mention on its signs, menus, and social feeds. But the real work does not change. Staff need to keep baking pies, keep lines moving, and try to get new customers to come back.
