Green Earth Natural Foods

I’ve only been to Green Earth a handful of times but I actually find something I like about it each time I go. It seems as though they have somewhat recently downsized or are renovating because the store was screened off in the back and the café wasn’t open today when I went. The proprietor is so warm and pleasant. You could totally hang out there all day, and I get the feeling they would be okay with that. The selection of food items is limited, it’s not like going to Whole Foods or Wild by Nature. Food items are limited mostly to is a refrigerator on the left wall with all-​natural beverages, some fruit, nuts, berries and vegetables. They also carry the most ridiculously delicious vegan chocolate peanut butter cookies– called «Uncle Eddies»; they are expensive, but they are soft and delicious. I bought a few drinks and the proprietor threw in an extra for free. I want to be clear, a store like this is really not for everybody. You may look around at the sandwich baggies with goji berries or chia seeds, or raw pistachios and run for the door. If you are only interested in natural food for its health benefits but you’re not into the well-​being of the earth, and your fellow earthly inhabitants, you just won’t «get» it.

There was a woman waiting out front glaring at the CLOSED sign @ 10:05, so I waltzed around Main Street. Still no sign of opening @ 10:15 (verified I wasn’t seeing things on the sign on the door) left me wondering to myself what the threshold is when a place transforms from alienating business to disrespecting potential customers.* Finally made it inside @ 10:35 with plans to redeem my $ 10 LivingSocial voucher (04÷04÷12) for ‘$ 20 to Spend on Groceries’ (‘groceries’ is a relative term these days, I guess, as I wouldn’t classify a store predominantly carrying supplements & literature a grocer).
I spent substantial amount of time browsing given the size of the place & range of the offerings. The store exuded quite a fragrance — pleasant but assaulting — with multiple tapestries either obscuring view of items for purchase or hiding empty shelving. There’s an open area in the back and I was informed they recently changed structure for loose items to organize them by alleged remedies.
The clientele fall on opposite sides of the spectrum — locals browsing and leaving empty-​handed to yuppie females** to what some might characterize as ‘stoner types’ (on this occasion, an old white woman rocking dreads). The fella running the joint was a groovy laidback cat, soft-​spoken and knowledgeable, helpful without being intrusive.
The damage was $ 20.24 for a rather pedestrian purchase of 3 fruit/​nut bars ($ 2.99 each) & a small plastic bag of fennel seed (labeled as $ 21 but really $ 10.50 — if that wasn’t an isolated issue, I would’ve considered a return). I can’t honestly say I know how Green Earth’s prices stack up, but they weren’t low enough to lure me back at full price (unfortunately). (The guy manning the shop didn’t seem to vet the voucher, but did speak highly of LS as an organization, and of me when I let him keep the nominal change.)
*I called the day before I planned to stop in to Green Earth (it’s been around since 1980, and I’ve never noticed this storefront with outrageous signage?) and the guy who answered informed me that ‘tomorrow, we’re running 10 ’til about 7′, which contradicts the primitive site (glad I called, though disappointed I didn’t interpret the approximation for the closing time as leeway for the opening hour).
(Fellow long shoppers beware: the dead zone for VZW cell reception killed my battery — I wouldn’t put it past them for that to be intentional)
**This place probably subsists (or perhaps thrives, as of late) on Dr. Oz fangirls, three of which comprised the handful of shoppers on my visit, and all of whom were directed to Wild By Nature in HB.