|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The owner of the historical Little Store in Woodside died on Dec. 8, 2025, at the age of 94 in the home she built with her late husband Marcel located behind the restaurant. Kay Mouney, born on March 26, 1931, was well-known by the community for her role in starting the local restaurant.
Mouney and her husband purchased The Little Store property in 1973, according to the Woodside Historical Committee and turned the former 1907 general store into a restaurant. Staples on the menu were cheeseburgers, fried chicken, milkshakes and a French onion soup topped with a big piece of bread and cheese, said Bree-Anna Vail, a member of the committee.
“It was a fun little cozy neighborhood spot,” she added. “It was like a neighborhood place where everyone could gather and you could even send your kids there to have dinner.”
At The Little Store, locals remember attending birthday parties, dinners after softball games and a gathering with the late Willie McCovey, a former Woodside resident and first baseman for the San Francisco Giants.
The restaurant was under Mouney’s management until December 1998. For 25 years, the small and intimate space on Woodside Road served as a “sanctuary” for many residents.
“When I was waiting to pick up the kids from school, I would be the only person in the restaurant between her and the cook, and they would just kind of leave me alone,” said Jim Milton, a longtime customer and friend to Mouney. “I’d read the paper and it was kind of a sanctuary for me back in those days. A little quiet before the storm.”
Mouney shared stories with her friends of growing up on a farm in west Texas in a house with many siblings. She worked as an elementary school teacher before meeting her husband, a French restaurateur who also owned Le Pot au Feu, a Menlo Park restaurant that shut its doors two decades ago, said Nita Sierke, Milton’s wife.
After the original Little Store closed, residents petitioned to have the place remain a restaurant. In 1998, the town’s Planning Commission voted unanimously to protect the building from being turned into an interior design office and maintain it as a dining place.
The community saw different iterations of the restaurant under various owners who leased the space from Mouney. Most recently, the restaurant has been revived as a cafe and florist by Gena Winter and Aubriana Kasper MacNiven, who also co-own Marigold, a floral arrangement shop in San Francisco.
“I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Kay personally, but since taking over The Little Store we’ve met many people who used to work here during her time or loyal customers who share their fond memories of her,” said Kasper MacNiven in a written statement. “While we could never fill her shoes our hope is to carry on a piece of her legacy and honor the love she had for The Little Store.”
Memories of Mouney
As the owner of the restaurant, Mouney made an impact on all who walked in. Former customers, turned friends described her as a kind person to everyone, hardworking, well-rounded and a “down to business woman”.
Carly Rivera worked for Mouney at The Little Store during the summer as a 15-year-old waitress. She said Mouney knew everyone who would walk into the store. It was a staple for the local residents, Rivera added.
During her six months at The Little Store, Rivera said she learned valuable lessons from Mouney about how to run a business and how to work efficiently. She continued to keep in touch with her over the years and reflected on the impact that Mouney had on her as a young teenager.
In the decades after managing The Little Store, Mouney spent her days going to yoga, attending Mass and walking her German shepard Kiki. She named all of her pets Kiki, Sierke said.
After retirement, Mouney continued to be active in the community and developed many strong friendships. Anne Van Camp became a longtime friend after she fell into Mouney’s arms when she suddenly fainted at Mass, she said. Since then, she saw her everyday for the last 10 years and attended Mass with her at Our Lady of the Wayside in Portola Valley.
Van Camp recalled Mouney’s “wicked sense of humor,” and independence. She was “feisty about not wanting help,” she said.
Every time Van Camp would ride her horse on Woodside Road, she’d be able to see over Mouney’s house fence and wave at her friend, who often spent time in her front yard. Mouney’s house now serves as a daily reminder of the cherished memories of the past, she said.
Milton and his wife Sierke also grew close to Mouney in her older age and would visit her home a few times every week. Sierke would even take her to visit museums in San Francisco.
“She was always polite and good natured to people. Her equanimity was very good,” said Sierke. “She never sought notoriety in any way and yet lots of people knew exactly who she was.”
In 2018, Mouney received the Historic Preservation Award from the town’s Historical Committee for her role in contributing to a cornerstone of Woodside’s legacy.
A memorial for Mouney will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at Our Lady of the Wayside Church located at 930 Portola Road in Portola Valley.
Editor’s note: The spelling of the French restaurant Le Pot au Feu was corrected and a statement from the current co-owner of The Little Store was added to the article.
Pilot’s report of ‘erratically’ flying paraglider triggers search at SLAC campusJanuary 19, 2026 11:20 am
La Pot au feu, not what you wrote.