Natural Grocers Open

Natural Grocers

I went to the pre-opening event at Natural Grocers in Wichita Falls on December 5. They put the sign up just that day. There has been a lot of side betting about whether the store could be completed on time, as it looked as if the building was running behind schedule. But the store was finished and fully stocked that evening.

We've been needing a store like this. This is what I always wished Sunshine would be. I hope the community will support it.

The produce looked awesome!

Although United Market Street has a lot of organic products, I did some casual price comparisons and found many of the items were about the same price and perhaps less expensive here (we'll see if that holds up over time.) In fact the butter I bought that morning at United was $1 less at Natural Grocers. There is also a larger variety of organic items.

The produce section was beautiful. Not only did they have more items than the organic section of United, but the produce looked really nice. Often the organic produce at United looks wilted. Another thing we'll have to watch over time. There were also some unusual items, like blue sweet potatoes, so it will be fun to try some new things.

Bulk section

Vitamins and supplements

Personally, I was interested in their bulk section. I was a little disappointed that their bulk was all in plastic bags, but still, there is less packaging here than in many of the same items bought in a regular grocery store. I liked that there was at least a few types of loose leaf tea--both black and herbal. There were also a lot of bulk spices. This is a good area to check out. The items don't jump out at you--you do have to take your time and look at the labels. But I'll be checking out this area in more detail, for sure.

I am not a big supplements user, but if you are, I can't imagine you couldn't find what you're looking for at this store. You can see the well-stocked aisle.

Samples of dishes made with some of the foods available were set up for taste testing. The recipes were set out for most of them. The demonstration kitchen and community room are set up for cooking classes to teach people how to make healthier foods and use foods consumers may not be familiar with.  They had some classes set up for Thursday about paleo wraps, but I don't know how many people got out with the snow. Thursday evening a demo on organic, gluten and dairy free smoothies and snacks was scheduled.

Soap

For the cooks among us, Natural Grocers is looking for people interested in teaching others about cooking and nutrition. If you're interested, contact Janeen Goldsmith at jgoldsmith@vitamincottage.com or call her at (303) 986-4600 x 175. You can find out more at their website.

They also have some interesting personal care and cleaning products. I was happy to see Dr. Bronner's pure castille soap.

Everyone was very friendly at the pre-opening. We'll see how their customer service stacks up after they are open. They'll have their work cut out to compete with United Market Street on that front.

Because of the weather, I haven't been back when I've been able to actually shop. I do have some items I want and will definitely be going back. Stop by, check it out and tell others what you think.