In case you didn't know this about us already, Dave and I have a particular diet that makes it hard at times to shop just anywhere. I mean, we usually shop for groceries at Smith's or Albertson's for the bulk of our food, but there are certain things you just can't find at such places. For seitan, a wide selection of vegetable-based broths and mixes, and other vegetarian specialties, your local grocer probably isn't going to cut it.
We have been shopping quite frequently at this place called Harvest Fresh, a (seemingly) locally-owned, rather large health-food grocery store. They have always offered a pretty big selection of foods and other products that Dave and I can't find at Smith's or Albertson's. Plus, the prices were reasonable. We started to favor this place over Good Earth NaturalFoods (another health store close by) because we found it to be a better store overall and, in many cases, had a better selection and was cheaper. When we began cooking with seitan (wheat gluten), we could count on Harvest Fresh to have it in stock, while employees of Good Earth didn't even know what seitan was. We counted on Harvest Fresh to have what we needed and went there often.
A couple of months ago, we noticed that Harvest Fresh no longer carried seitan. This was annoying, but we lived on the hope that they would bring it back. They didn't. We were a little let down but we still shopped there anyway since they had the other stuff we needed. We didn't realize then that this was the beginning of the end.
Well, yesterday we dropped by Harvest Fresh to do some shopping and noticed something strange--there were signs on the doors that said "All Sales Final." We shrugged it off and went inside. As we took in our surroundings, we realized that most of the shelves were empty and there were employees cleaning up the place. We walked into the produce section to find a very small supply of fruits and veggies, most of which were moldy or squishy. Almost everything was gone.
Without buying anything, we left the store and Dave asked someone outside if the store was closing. They told us they were, and mentioned something about another bigger store opening on main street in AF.
A little heartbroken, Dave and I decided to venture to this other location and check it out. We were mad that the location so close to our home had closed, but we were happy that a place with even MORE selection had opened.
As we drove down main street in AF, we passed the store that the man had mentioned. Unfortunately, it wasn't a Harvest Fresh. It was a brand new Good Earth Natural Foods.
Horrified, we realized that in all likelihood this new Good Earth was the reason that our beloved health food store had been forced to close down. There is only so much demand for stores like that in this valley, and two Good Earth stores were plenty. I like to think that they really have build a brand new location for Harvest Fresh, but after checking their website I didn't see anything to confirm that hope. I really think they're gone for good.
Well, at least this Good Earth looked larger than the other one we knew of. So we went right on in to discover that...well, it wasn't. If anything, it was smaller. With sighs of dismay we perused the aisles and bought what we needed--what we would have purchased and Harvest Fresh--and were grateful to at least find some (vastly overpriced) seitan in the frozen food section.
I guess that monopolies in the retail world aren't limited only to the likes of good old Sam Walton. From now one, I guess we'll be shopping at the over-priced and nutrition supplement-packed (I swear, half the store!) Good Earth. What else can we do?
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3 comments:
sad. nevertheless, at least you get to shop at a small corporate conglomerate while we only have the option of wild oats, which really is the walmart of health food stores. :( it's even been bought by whole foods, so they're even bigger now, and it shows.
i was always very frustrated by good earth. they really do carry an inordinate amount of processed food and supplements. perhaps it's to make up for all the stuff they DON'T sell, namely, affordable and abundant organic produce.
i liked harvest fresh too. i heard last week that it is closing and i was bummed. they are the only store that sells organic vegetable broth in bulk.
I ran into your blog trying to find out what happened to Harvest Fresh. They were by far my favorite place to shop. I had to drive a little ways to reach the store but if I was ever in the area I always stopped in till I went one day and saw the small signs saying they were closed.
However, I still had hope because I had family that I would visit in the Bountiful area they were saying that a Harvest Fresh was opening up their. Now that the store is complete, their is no trace of the store being considered any more. So hopefully they didn't close down because of Good Earth. I will probably never go their unless I need to buy one or two items that you can't get at a regular store. I I paid double the price!
So hey, I feel your pain!
Thank you for the comment, anonymous. It's been many months since this happened, and it still makes me sad every time I drive by the empty building. We still try to stay away from Good Earth, same as you, only going once in a while for things we can't get anywhere else. But they never, EVER seem to have Seitan there... Harvest Fresh had it most of the time, at least. But that's life. Hopefully something better will come along someday.
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