WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mom’s Organic Market has ventured further into the nation’s capital with its newest store, and is going bigger as it looks to amplify its sustainability-focused retailing.
Located at 4250 Connecticut Ave. NW, Mom’s newest location spans around 17,000 square feet — larger than the chain’s average 12,000 to 14,000-square-foot markets, Eric Yetta, the grocer’s chief operating officer, told Grocery Dive on a walk-through of the store during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 4.
One of the biggest perks of the larger store was Mom’s not having to sacrifice any products, like it is forced to do at some of its other locations, and enabling the grocer to sell its full assortment, Yetta said.
The independent specialty grocer’s second store in the nation’s capital opened in partnership with the University of the District of Columbia to serve students as well as the rest of the city’s Van Ness community.
Mom’s newest market continues its organic, better-for-you mission. Like the grocer’s other locations, the Van Ness store centers on the produce department while also offering a myriad of grocery staples and an expansive health and wellness section stocked with vitamins, supplements and other items. All offerings either meet Mom’s organic standards or the grocer’s ingredient standards, which include more than 250 banned ingredients in food, health and body care, and supplement products.
Here’s a look inside Mom’s newest storefront on opening day.
A stroll through the aisles
Despite the city setting, Mom’s newest store aims to preserve its local market atmosphere. So, rather than rows of shelves lined up like dominoes, the Van Ness location created a winding path with its aisles for shoppers to follow and meander through.
But the grocer didn’t stop there. To avoid the usual cramped nature of metropolitan grocery stores, Mom’s kept its aisles around 10 feet wide, Yetta said, noting that most grocery stores offer a 6-foot-wide aisle. Not using endcaps is another way the grocery minimizes potential crowding.
Mellow music is another key mood-setter in Mom’s stores, creating a “shopping oasis,” Yetta said.
One of Mom’s most popular grocery staple items is the retailer’s own coffee. Mom’s private label coffee is a customer favorite as well as the “biggest hit” among the grocer’s private labels, Yetta said. The store brand offering also runs cheaper than national brands at around $10 per pound.
The power of local produce
Produce is the heart of all Mom’s stores, as it is for many other specialty grocers.
“We touch every piece [of produce] and we really focus on quality, quality, quality and decent pricing,” Yetta said. He added that employee training about produce offerings is key to connecting and building trust with customers.
Mom’s sources the majority of its produce and floral items from local farms, including Summer Wind Farms in New Jersey, as well as around 120 Amish family farms in a co-op come peak season, according to Chris Miller, Mom’s director of produce.
“So we really prioritize the local product when it’s available. We’re just kind of coming into [peak] season now. But they’re fully certified organic co-op and turning a lot of acreage in the Chesapeake Bay watershed into organic that wasn’t before,” Miller said.
Between 15% and 20% of Mom’s sales come from the produce section alone, Yetta said.
While not fruits or vegetables, Mom’s bulk offerings are also in the produce section. Shoppers can bring their own containers to restock a variety of foods, including spices, nuts and pasta.
“We keep [produce and bulk] all together typically in our stores because sustainability sets us apart from a lot of other grocers that are using tons of packaging,” Yetta said, pointing out that Mom’s produce, just like its bulk items, don’t come in any pre-packaged containers.
A focus on wellness
Following along Mom’s aisle trail, starting at produce, will eventually lead you to the grocer’s wellness department, stocked from floor to ceiling with supplements, vitamins and other health and beauty products.
Knowledge is a key focus of Mom’s health and wellness offering, according to Yetta, stating that Mom’s wellness team employees get “a lot of training… as far as product knowledge so they can help.” Many customers, for example, come to Mom’s employees asking about health trends or products they’ve seen online to get a better understanding of the benefits, Yetta added.
Spotlighting sustainability
Cutting out unnecessary packaging and limiting food waste with bulk offerings isn’t Mom’s only sustainability work.
At the store’s front door, shoppers can find a compost and recycling station, which is especially useful in a city setting, where people living in apartments might not know how to compost or where to bring it, Yetta said. The retailer partners with Compost Crew to handle compost dropped off by customers.
