lemons were 3 for a dollar!

That's great!
Thanks for letting me know that!

my gf stopped by on thursday and was sore disappointed. the prices were not competitive and the quality was sub-par. she could have sworn that they took bags of cherries purchased from a grocery store, split them in half, and was selling them for the same price as the full bag from the chain store. there were apparently cherries in ziplock bags and cherries in the same bags you see in the chains.

I so want to support local small business, but not when they half-ass stuff like this or expect us to pay a super premium just to "buy local".

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No matter where you go, there you are. (b.banzai)

I noticed the small bags as well but didnt think much of it

I wasn't thrilled with the grapes, but the nectarines were wonderful

The wife went today- said the pricing is not per pound, but per item(s). This makes it difficult to compare prices. Three bananas can be 3 big or 3 small; you need a common unit and that's weight.

She gives the store 6 months, max, before it's gone.

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What? Me worry?

whoa what is everyone complaining about? first lets get it straight that this place is not a farmers market so why would you expect prices to be cheaper then the chains? second its a convenience store, the whole point is you can walk there to get a few things, not get all your groceries for the week. third from what i can tell this is a family owned business who's earnings probably make their way back into the community. finally, they just opened. give them a chance.

i went there today and the first thing the guy at the register said to me was to please let him know what i thought and to let him know what items i couldn't find so he could track them down. i'm pretty sure acme never asked me my opinion or tried to even keep the produce fresh.

I pass this place almost every day and it looks like they're still getting set up, so give them some time. The shelves were much fuller today than in the past few days. It looks like a young family with a baby running it, too, so the "family" part of the name isn't just marketing strategy, apparently. Oh, and they are stocking some asian items I don't find in our neighborhood like several kinds of rice noodles, etc., in big bags, not in "instant" meals. I didn't have cash on me when I peeked in or I might have bought some. I'll be interested to see if the coming organic stuff is affordable. That would be great. The produce they had on hand looked pretty good and pretty reasonably priced. I think if you do a little math you can easily figure out if their "per item" prices are better than the "per pound" prices at the chains, plus the chains sell some produce by the item anyway. I'm definitely going to go back for a second look and will probably pick up a few things to try.

does anyone know if that produce store near the ivy ridge train station is still open? cause I remember when that opened up it was supposed to be something similar to this.

the problem with this place being a stop-and-pop is that it's not terribly far from acme or shoprite. if people walked more, then maybe it's a possibility but in our area, we have a mostly driving mentality. and most folks, if they know they have to pop out for something, will hit up the grocery store rather than this place. heck how many of us even knew about it before the original poster put up this thread?

of course, I live only a couple blocks away from the Commissary on Ridge, which seems to do fine despite the fact that it's basically the equivalent of a low-end 7-11. Every time I go there I expect to see Apu from the Simpsons. Maybe this produce place will turn into something similar and hang around despite our negative predictions. I wish them the best but money's too tight to frequent stores that can't compete with the big chains on some aspect, whether it be price or quality.

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No matter where you go, there you are. (b.banzai)

I walk to do any errands within a short distance, which is probably why I've noticed more about it. You're right; people tend to drive to do their shopping. However, since they've opened early in the summer, maybe they'll see more foot traffic from people who are out and and about and just curious. There are plenty of homes a short walk from them, so it's not inconceivable that they could wind up with some regulars.

this being a stop and go is what i love about this place. who wants to drive to acme/shoprite just to buy some things for a salad? stores like this can help take some cars off the road which would be nice if we ever want the ridge to be pedestrian. I'm not delusional and think this one store will have that impact but its a small piece in the puzzle.

not having to drive is another thing to consider for those who were disappointed about the prices. i.e. how much is that gas saved and little bit of exercise gained worth to you?