I knew the increasing popularity of local farmer's markets would eventually lead to larger, corporate-driven stores. Several storefronts have popped up in the Sacramento area recently, including Sprouts and Sunflower Farmers Market. Sprouts has had a "coming soon" sign on their chosen location, what used to be an Old Navy clothing store. Meanwhile Sunflower's grand opening was going on today, and I was intrigued to see what they are offering and at what price point. Do they offer more organic choices than the standard apples and oranges?
I was wary to go to a grand opening, namely because of the number of people there browsing and more annoyingly - snacking on the samples. Don't get me wrong, samples are nice - when it's something you intend to buy and want to make sure it meets your needs, samples are indispensable. But when you are competing for space in the aisles with a corndog vendor, and the half-dozen people that are awaiting a taste, shopping can become downright aggravating. Not to mention those that are there strictly for the free bits and pieces. Their cart is empty, its parked in the middle of the aisle, and they're feigning a conversation with the rep. Meanwhile, people whom actually have shopping to do are - wait. This is probably a good topic for a later post.
As with any large store opening, there were plenty of corporate types looking around, saying "hi", carrying clipboards, and generally looking proud of themselves. Lots of new employees milling about as well. The store had been very well polished, everything arranged neatly and with OCD-type accuracy. There were several islands near the produce that had been stocked with items according to genre, which is always helpful when shopping. If I need Tamari and water chestnuts, I don't want to search two different aisles for them. Sunflower has thought about just that, making these helpful to amateurs and seasoned pros alike.
The produce was very well stocked and looked bountiful and beautiful spread out. They have many organic options as well as some rare fruits and vegetables that you don't often see in this area, including horned melons and fresh starfruit ($4/pop! ouch!) I picked up several pounds of fresh, line-caught Mahi-Mahi for an incredible price of just $2.97/lb. Upon passing the packaged salads area, a representative from "Organic Girl Greens" approached and offered us a coupon for a free package - a $4 dollar value. They essentially paid for my lunch - which was delicious, I used their 50/50 greens to make a healhty, yet tasty Caesar salad. I made sure to thank them for not having someone there serving samples of salad - this was a much better way to offer your product to the right market. The store also has an extensive spice collection, a wide variety of organic dairy products, and even organic toilet paper. I was impressed by the number of options in each area, and the prices were very reasonable. The store reminded me of the combination of Whole Foods and Trader Joes.
My son was starting to get cranky, so it was time to checkout. As the cashier received some on-the-job training and learned how to use the ATM portion of her register, the teenager bagging groceries conveniently placed my purchase in reusable canvas tote bags - for free. Upon declining the "do you need help out to your car" question - I noticed that there was an area of the store that I had missed. The only section that could be more important than the meat counter. The BEER section! I decided to take a quick recon mission and see what they had to offer. Wow! I was happily impressed. Their microbrew section was larger than the domestics! This is the type of thought process I've witnessed in Oregon and Washington, but here in Sacramento? With an Anheuser-Busch brewery just outside the city limits? I was ecstatic. They offered craft beers from the likes of Rubicon, Mammoth, Rogue, and Sierra Nevada. There were even some from the midwest and northeast. A fantastic selection at even better prices than the local BevMo. Within minutes I had several 6-packs in the cart and had to go visit the checkout again. One of the store reps observed my purchase and introduced himself, saying he was the buyer for the store's beer menu. I told him how impressed I was and that he had done a great job offering such a selection. He said that the store had just received it's license to sell just a few days before, and as such there would certainly be an even larger selection in the near future! Including the ever-popular and highly sought after "Pliny the Elder" from Russian River Brewing. People literally wait 4+ hours in line at the brewpub, just to get a pint. He said the store has been allocated just 2 cases per shipment! Ssssshhhh, I reminded him to keep his voice down. I whispered cautiously as I let him know that this would likely be the beginning of a great friendship, being that I live just a short distance away.
Overall this store has a lot of potential, and judging from the number of shirt-and-tie types that were there looking "official", it has some serious investors behind it. I will definitely be adding this market to my sources for all things delicious! I should mention that the market is located about 200 yards from Trader Joe's, and I had to visit them for some specialty items for my 2-year old. There were 3 TJ managers standing outside, observing the commotion that was going across the parking lot. Needless to say they did not look happy.
Sunflower Farmers Market
401 Folsom Road
Roseville, CA 95678
(the corner of Harding and Douglas Blvd)
No comments:
Post a Comment