Market of Choice to Buy Hillsdale Basics Store

[January 19, 2026]

Market of Choice and Basics Market have announced a purchase agreement that will turn the last remaining Basics grocery outlet into a new Market of Choice location.

Details were released in a press statement dated January 16, 2026. According to the announcement, the sale is expected to be finalized within 90 days. The store is not expected to close during the transition, and all Basics employees will have the option to remain on staff.

The Hillsdale store will become the fifth Market of Choice location in the Portland metro area and the company’s 13th store statewide. Existing Portland-area locations include SE Belmont Street, Cedar Mill, Hillsboro, and West Linn, with additional stores in Eugene, Ashland, Medford, and Corvallis. A previous Market of Choice location in southwest Portland, at Terwilliger and Taylor’s Ferry, closed in 2019.

Basics Market seemed to struggle over the past few years, shrinking from several locations around the greater Portland area to just the one store in Hillsdale.

In the press release, Basics founder Chuck Eggert said, “I approached Market of Choice because I wanted to find an organization that shares our values around caring for employees, investing in the community, and supporting local producers and makers.”

The sale marks the end of the Basics Market franchise, according to a Q&A on the Basics website.

Market of Choice is a privately owned company founded in 1979 by Richard Wright Sr. and led for many years by his son, Rick Wright. The current president, Zach Wright, represents the third generation of the family-run business. The Oregonian reported in August that Market of Choice abandoned a plan to purchase the former Food Front location on NW Thurman Street.

Reactions to the news of the deal among a non-scientific sampling of Hillsdale residents and regulars in attendance at the Sunday morning workout at CrossFit Hillsdale ranged from relief to thrilled. Some had been concerned about the apparent lack of financial stability at the local Basics, as evidenced over the past months by sometimes sparse shelves. Others were excited to see Market of Choice come to Hillsdale, and still others were happy to have a Market of Choice back in the area.

As the transition approaches, a few practical questions remain for neighborhood shoppers:

• Bottle return: Some Market of Choice stores use self-serve bottle return kiosks—will Hillsdale?

• Hours of operation: Most Market of Choice locations are open from 7 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Basics currently opens at 8 a.m. and last year reduced its closing time from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Food collection bin: Will the store continue hosting the Positive Charge PDX food donation bin supporting Neighborhood House?

—Valeurie Friedman

This article was updated on January 20 to correct the number of Market of Choice locations: The Hillsdale store will be the chain's 13th statewide.

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