NEWS
BIG News: Earth Fare Food Store Coming to Davidson
It has been 3 years since the News of Davidson shared the hopeful news that Sadler Square owner Audy Dover thought he had a lead on a grocery store to replace the Farm2Family Healthy Home Market. That didn’t pan out, but hope remained that the storefront would not sit vacant for too long. Sadly, it did.
But that changed late Wednesday afternoon when your News of Davidson team heard some good news. The Charlotte Ledger Business Journal tweeted a link to an article that said that the Asheville-based food store Earth Fare plans to open a store at the vacant Sadler Square location. We took the opportunity to go over to the store location and peer through the windows, and it looks much like it did back in 2017.
While the information could not be confirmed with a representative from Earth Fare, we were able to confirm the information on their web site.
According to the site, they currently operate stores in Asheville; Athens, Ga.; Boone; Charleston; Charlotte (Ballentyne and South Park); Columbia; Greenville; Portage, Mich.; Ocala, Fl.; Roanoke, Va.; Rock Hill; Summerville, S.C.; and Williamsburg, Va.
The list of stores “Coming Soon” includes: Johnson City, Tenn.; Knoxville; Canton, Ohio; Fairview Park, Ohio; Seminole, Fl.; Fort Mill; Concord; and last, but certainly not least – Davidson. The article in The Ledger suggests that the stores could open as early as January 2021.
The history of Earth Fare as posted: “In 1975, Earth Fare opened as Dinner for the Earth in Asheville, NC. It was the city’s first health food store and the mission was simple: to offer real food to empower people to regain control of their health.
Our first store was just 1,200 square feet and offered a modest selection of organic dried bulk goods and wellness products. Growing over the years, our commitment to Clean, healthy food has never wavered. Our Food Philosophy ensures that you can shop with confidence in every aisle of our store, without ever needing to read a label.
In March 2020, a loyal customer and local business leader purchased Earth Fare with the vision to reestablish stores in communities across the Southeast. Supported by investors, our original founders, local advocates, and previous Earth Fare Team Members, the team will begin the renewed mission to improve lives by making healthy food available to everyone and bringing our unique Food Philosophy back to the communities we serve.”
One of the interesting aspects of the Earth Fare model is their “Boot List.” The list is their effort to provide transparency about the foods sold in their stores. If an ingredient or products is on the list, it has been banned from their stores. Earth Fare says their efforts to responsibly source their products allows shoppers to browse and buy without having to look at labels.
Soon, with any luck, our town will benefit from the re-opening of this important storefront. Fingers crossed.