Oakville Grocery, the storied midvalley stop for bicyclists, tourists and foodies, is apparently about to change hands, again.

Bill Braddock, general manager of Oakville Grocery’s Oakville branch, confirmed the company’s San Francisco store closed its doors last month and the chain’s remaining stores in Oakville, Palo Alto and Healdsburg are being sold. Braddock said the three stores, including the original at the corner of Highway 29 and Oakville Grade — will remain open.

Leslie Rudd, owner of Rudd Winery and Dean & DeLuca in St. Helena, will be one of the grocery’s new owners, according to Braddock, who could not confirm the identity of another potential buyer.

Ellen Hunt, executive director of Rudd Group, said although no deal has been reached yet for the grocery chain, Leslie Rudd is in negotiations with the current owners. Hunt said a deal may be reached within the next few days.

Braddock said Pat Roney, former CEO of Dean & DeLuca, recently joined the Oakville Grocery team as a provisional consultant and is helping to address the company’s financial challenges.

Braddock confirmed rumors that the store has recently faced cash flow problems with its vendors. “We’re trying not to file (for bankruptcy) and still get our people paid,” he said.

Although the store is slated to change hands, Braddock said locals will not see many changes after the sale is finalized. “We’ll probably just clean it up a little bit, give it a fresh coat of paint and maybe redo the floors.”

The building is one of 73 Napa County sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building made the list of protected structures in 1993. The store has operated continuously since 1881.

Oakville Grocery has been popular with both tourists and Napa Valley residents for decades thanks to its select wines, specialty foods and familiar faces. Braddock said many who frequent the grocery are on a first name basis with employees and the same groups of winery workers come in each morning for coffee.

“We also see all the tourists. This is a big destination spot for them. And the new wineries used to get launched here in earlier years — they’d try to get their wines here first so people would see them,” he said.

The store last changed hands in 2003, when Joe Phelps sold it to Woodside Capital Group.

Steve Carlin, co-owner of Oakville Grocery from 1980 to 2000, said the store has been a well-known Napa Valley mercantile during its 126 years of operation.

“It’s strategically located and it’s been very popular with visitors because it’s the first place that people stop along Highway 29. It’s a wonderful store,” he said.

(St. Helena Star Publisher Doug Ernst contributed to this story.)