24
The Communicator - March 2005
I've been shopping at the Market for nearly seven years. Today what dictates when I go is
my supply of Gunpowder Green tea. This is my daily cup and the Market has the best price
in town. In general, those little jars of herbs and spices are a big reason I shop there. They
are what started me shopping at natural food stores nearly twenty years ago.
I was lucky, I grew up like Morgan Spurlock from "Super Size Me," with my mom in the
kitchen every late afternoon making a homemade dinner for our family. Much of the pro-
duce came from my grandparents' garden and fruit trees. Like most children, I took it for
granted.
During the college years my familiarity with food came in handy. I was determined to find
a summer job in Bexley so I wouldn't have to return to Cleveland. I knew I wouldn't have
a car so I walked a couple of miles down East Main Street, stopping in at every business
inquiring about work. (My husband and I still set up our life this way; living close to the
school, working close to home.) Cornucopia Catering picked me up for counter service,
food prep and serving. My food knowledge broadened and the leftovers sustained me. Everything was made from scratch.
There was the added benefit of seeing a partnership of women grow a successful business. This was 1984 and, incidentally,
the first time I had heard of Martha Stewart.
I really got into cooking over the next several years. My muse was Julie Jordan of Cabbagetown Café, the less famous
vegetarian restaurant in Ithica NY. Her cookbook changed how I cooked and shopped. I was looking for things like bulk
Indian spices, herbs, whole grains and beans. I started buying at the Bexley Coop and eventually went to Northwest Natural
when I moved to that area. Concurrently, my husband, Ed, and I were becoming more aware of how our food choices and
shopping habits were intrinsically related to the planet.
In 1993, a musical calling, on Ed's part, lead us to the Twin Cities. Fast forward to on-site property management (endear-
ingly known as "caretaking" up there), Bradley childbirth, breastfeeding and membership in, what must be one of the best
food coops in the country, Mississippi Market in St. Paul. This was a good life set to the, not-yet-dubbed, "Alt Country"
sound of Ed's Swingin' Hinges band.
It was the Mississippi Market I was looking for in 1998 when we found ourselves a family of four moving back to
Columbus. I quickly found CCM. It didn't fill the hole so I crossed off my list a store at a time. I never stopped going to
the Market or renewing my membership, though. Slowly but surely the cluttered little store began taking shape. Finally I
knew what I'd find there, and even better, I knew it would be stocked consistently. A mother does not need another
errand to run.
There's a large bulk department, relative to the store size. It takes caring employees and customers to support this. I've
watched as the liquid bulk department at Wild Oats has dwindled to nearly nothing. Their reward system for bringing your
own bags is "token." I wash and reuse my freezer bags, deny my asking children pre-packaged food and drinks in their
lunch box, and cook with whole foods often. I also have a strong interest in herbal medicine. At the Market, I feel in good
company. The staff seems genuine.
My family goes through a lot of food in a week and I don't shop exclusively at the coop. When I am there, I look down at
my little cart and know it is good stuff. It has earned its place in the small store, much like each thing in my small house. If
you don't need it or use it, let it go. In my husband's words, "folks like us can't afford to be too sentimental."
If you are interested in talking with us about why you shop at the market, or if you are interested in submitting your own article on
the subject, please let us know! Contact Gwen or Kellie at the market office at 614-268-4081.