Write a detailed and thoughtful business plan for your produce store. Specify a focus, such as local or organic produce or fruits and vegetables for a particular target market, such as an ethnic community.

Contact you local health department and ask about required permits and protocols for owning and operating a produce store. Call state and local revenue departments and ask for paperwork to obtain business licenses. If you will be hiring employees, register with state and federal agencies to receive an employer identification number and employment tax forms

Choose a store location appropriate to your store's emphasis. If you are starting a local and organic produce store, look in a neighborhood with stores that demonstrate that its residents are willing to pay extra for quality goods. If you will be offering produce for a particular ethnic community, find a storefront in an area with a suitable demographic.

Purchase display fixtures for your store and a walk-in cooler. Find display coolers that will attractively showcase your offerings, and bins and shelving for nonrefrigerated items. Buy your refrigeration from a reputable source, or ask a certified refrigeration technician to help you with these purchases.

Get to know the farmers in your area. Develop an approximate schedule of when different fruits and vegetables will be available and, if you so choose, supplement locally produced offerings with nonlocal items available through produce distributors.

Market your produce store by reaching out to health conscious customers or to the community you will be serving. Run ads in targeted publications. Paint large, colorful signs to attract drive-by business, and communicate about specials and new products.