Common Market Food Coop

This place pleasantly surprises me every time. They have such a wonderful variety of everything, I always find something new to take home. I go to this place all the way from Westminster once every couple of weeks. It is absolutely worth the drive! I’m so glad I was introduced to it!

I love their prepared foods! It tastes great and you know it is healthy to boot! I also like to shop MOMS market for similar items due to them having a lower price. The Common Market’s prepared food however, keeps me coming back!

I’d like to purchase my egg less egg salad without a side of attitude please. 70% of the staff need to work on their people skills.

Bets organic produce section in the area. That’s enough for me. Great bulk item section, too. Staff is awesome.

Awesome place. I became a member within five minutes of walking in. Their produce is beautiful and plentiful. I found everything I needed, got lunch, and a delicious iced coffee. The employees are energetic, knowledgeable, courteous, and efficient. I can’t wait to give them more money!

I love Common Market. It really is a gem of a co-​op. The people here are incredibly helpful and kind, the selection of natural/​organic/​specialty foods are excellent, the bulk bins are extensive, the olive bar is amazing — it’s a really great place. The fish counter is outstanding when it comes to quality and cleanliness, and the selection is limited to ethically sourced fish, which is fantastic. Common Market isn’t our go-​to for everyday things. It’s where we come for stuff that is harder to find, or when we need specialty, quality things. The prepared food is awesome and they label the hell out of allergens, which is great. They have some of the cheapest prices on gluten-​free bread in town, too, which is a feat in and of itself. In short, give it a try. It’s a quirky, hippie grocery store and it’s fantastic.

I have been a coop member here since moving to Frederick 10 years ago. If you like local, organic produce, veg friendly foods, and an awesome prepared foods café and a great staff, this is your place. The tofurkey Reuben is righteous, and the banana buzz smoothie is the perfect pick me up for hot summer afternoons. The staff is always nice and the place is always clean and cheerful. Awesome.

Love this store for everything. Grocery shopping, organic, hot bar, bakery treats, smoothies, coffee, panini — a bit expensive, but well worth a visit. Nice choices for vegetarians, vegans for lunch, etc

I love the common market! I just moved to the area and prefer this over the Mom’s in frederick. They have a hot bar and salad bar and fresh organic juices! Which are always amazing: some favorites are the Ekto Cooler juice and the Vegan Club wrap!
They have such a variety of fresh amazing food– love coming here and basically come 3 – 4 times a week after working out at sport & health next door. I moved from Bethesda where I had a co-​op as well as Whole Foods and I was super scared I wouldn’t be able to find as many organic places. So happy to have found Common Market! Love the food atmosphere and staff!
Yes it’s a little pricey but what organic isn’t? They have competitive prices and a wide variety of choices for vegan/​vegetarian/​gluten free/​etc.

I’m conflicted. For one, they have pretty much everything you need for your organic/​vegan/​natural lifestyle. If they don’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist. Many items are priced well (as in, less than Wegman’s). Others, not so much ($ 5 for any loaf of small, not-​baked-​that-​morning bread, grab-​n-​go deli items, etc.).
On the other hand, I’m not a fan of the way its run. I’m used to co-​ops where the members pay an annual membership fee, then get a discount on their purchases (like 5%). (Or alternatively, nonmembers pay an extra 5%). This one, you pay, and if there is leftover money at the end of the year, you get some of it. I can’t imagine how much, if any, is left, especially when you consider that this store is always overstaffed. As in, there are always more employees than customers. Its not that big of a place, they really don’t need all those people working at the same time, draining profits.
And, why oh why, if the store opens at 8:00, are employees pulling items off the shelves at 11:00 a.m. For example, today I went in for a specific item. I saw said item when I walked in, but could not access it due to an employee blocking said item (as I said, there are WAY too many employees here at any given time). Went back literally 5 minutes later, item was gone (even though there were plenty there 5 minutes earlier). Asked employee what happened, was told it was «pulled». I noticed at least 3 employees «pulling» items. At 11:00. This is infuriating for a number of reasons. One, this impacts profits. By not selling me the product I came in for, which I could have bought 5 minutes ago, you lose $. Two, if I should not be buying said product, it should have been pulled before the store opened, not 3 hours later. Scary no matter how you look at it.
At least there is competition, Mom’s Organic Market, about 1 mile away. Hopefully this keeps them on their toes. Right now, I don’t have a preference between the two. That could easily change.
PS– Another issue, though nitpicky: Zero selection of sweet potato chips. They have sweet potato tortilla chips, but only one variety of actual sweet potato chips. I rely on these kinds of stores for that type of item.

Enjoyed the most fantastic fresh salad from the salad bar. Sprouts, dark greens, soy bacon bits and the best balsamic vinegar I’ve ever had. Yum!

Common is way overrated. This is in comparison to the many health food stores and COOP’s I’ve been to over the years.
— They’re overpriced compared to identical items at nearby health food stores.
— Customer service needs to be improved.
— The prepared food section is slow and the process for ordering/​paying doesn’t flow smoothly.
Additionally, the quality of their produce is mediocre in comparison to Mom’s or one of the many local farm markets. Finally, crappy selection of coffee which is truly a disappointment considering there are many amazing roasters in the area. Why not help support more local companies?
All in all, they need to train their staff better, lower their prices, and improve the layout of the store at some point to make shopping there an enjoyable experience.
I wish «My Organic Market» down Rte. 85 offered a fresh food bar and better selection because if they did, I’d do 100% of my shopping there and boycott Common forever.

This is a great find in Frederick! The store is always well-​organized and clean, and the produce section in particular always looks fresh and inviting.
Though the dairy section appears small, it’s actually stocked with a variety of cow and non-​cow milks, cheeses, and eggs. I just enjoyed a delicious homemade Cobb salad for lunch made with CMFC’s salad greens and blue cheese :) On my first visit, I bought a couple of beef tenderloins that were pricey but amazing. I don’t have the most refined palate but I can taste the difference between commercial and grass-​fed beef and it is worth the money IMHO.
The prepared foods are no less tasty. I bought potato salad, as well as beet salad and both were fresh and without all of the heavy handed ingredients found in similar items at a regular grocery store. The cookies are a bit pricey at $ 1.99 each but they’re huge, moist, and flavorful. I like the chocolate chip and peanut butter ones. They have vegan cookies too, of course.
My favorite part of the store is the smoothie bar. I’ve always enjoyed frosty drinks in the summer but it sucks how most places use mixes with tons of sugar. Here, the only ingredients used are the ones you ask for. I love the banana bread smoothie, which is just banana, cinnamon, almond milk, and almond butter. So simple and so good! I also like the Heart Beet, which is beets, ginger, carrots, and kale but it’s definitely an acquired taste if you’re used to super sweet drinks. Can you tell I like beets?
I docked one star because while most items are comparable in price to other organic stores, some are just too outrageously expensive. $ 7.99/lb for asparagus? No thanks, I’ll find another side for my steaks. Recently I went specifically to get wild salmon but it was $ 29 freaking 99 for a pound! Even Whole Paycheck charges $ 19.99 for the same!

A one stop shop for Vegetarians and people with allergies. I found things that are generally not available in other grocery stores and to top it all it has a great smoothie, sandwich, salad café and also an olive bar! The Greek Panini was delicious and specifically if you are a vegetarian looking for variety.
Love it and definitely becoming a regular!

Just discovered Common Market Food Coop in Frederick, MD! I have thus far purchased and enjoyed meals and groceries and am irrevocably hooked! The people that work there, the ambiance, the food, beverages, inventory was seductively mesmerizing! I’m joining their coop and committed to spending money there! Thank you Meg for introducing me to this wonderful destination!

Wonderful. Everything is wonderful. We bought in on our first visit, proud to be part-​owners of such a fine establishment. Beautiful fresh fruits, great bulk section, awesome juice bar, fantastic olive bar, and the supplements! A homeopath’s dream! We live in Purcellville, VA and drive the 35 minutes to do our shopping with like minded folks. We are so glad you’re here!

I just stopped by here for the first time today and absolutely loved it. The produce selection wasn’t huge, like you’d see at a supermarket, but that’s to be expected. I found the organic prices here were pretty on par with organic prices at other stores. I’ve had a hard time finding organic broccoli that actually looks and tastes good, and Common Market was the only place where I’ve been able to find it.
I was a bit disappointed with their selection of organic meats though, I’ve seen more organic variety at Wegman’s and Giant. Other than that, I was really impressed. I’ll definitely be back.
Also, they had a carrot cake bread pudding at the hot foods bar… AMAZING.

I recently moved to Frederick from North Carolina. I was really concerned I would be having to shop for my grocerys at a Walmart or Safeway. I was super excited to come across this place. It’s a nice small quaint market that I feel very comfortable coming to. I love the juice bar and deli section and love all the choice of local farm fresh meets and produce! The only down side is that it is pricey and the juice bar is lacking wheat grass. All in all though I would highly recommend it. All of the staff is very friendly as well… I love the comfort of knowing I have a little natural pharmacy section where I can treat myself naturally and it helps that they have a big encyclopedia of holistic healing which helps you pick the right herbal supplements or treatments for you if you can’t make it into a natural path or Dr.

I’m only reviewing the salad bar and smoothie bar since that’s my primary reason for going to Common Market. Both are incredible! The salad bar is so fresh. They have lots of options, and 6 – 8 choices of homemade dressings. The salad dressing really cannot be beat! The tuna salad on the salad bar is amazing! I usually only eat tuna at home, but will stop at Common Market just to pick up a scoop of tuna to take home for lunch. The hot bar also has great food options!
The smoothies are amazing! A little pricey, but you get what you pay for! They are fresh and delicious! My favorite is the raspberry peanut butter cup. To die for!

I always complain about how Frederick doesn’t have a Whole Foods since that’s my grocery store of choice and I drive to Gaithersburg to do my shopping… That was until I found The Common Market.
The produce is a little bit pricier than what I normally find at Whole Foods but hey, when we’re talking health; is money really a matter? No.
I seem to be able to find everything I need here, organic beef, fluoride free toothpaste, wild caught salmon, and all organic produce which is what I’m really looking for.
There’s not much else to say about The Common Market that hasn’t been said already, they’re clean, well stocked and the staff is super friendly and helpful. Great alternative to the Monsanto laden grocery stores in Frederick.