Natural Grocers thinks shoppers will notice expanded produce department and improved shopping flow

Tim Harty, The Business Times

A lease expiring at the right time and an available building with better access and more room mean Grand Junction is about to get a bigger and better Natural Grocers store.

The exterior signage has been installed, and Natural Grocers is nearing completion of the interior renovation it had to do to its unit at 2405 Patterson Road, Ste. 300, in the building that housed lumber yard and home-improvement retailer Sutherlands until 2019.

That puts Natural Grocers on schedule to close its existing location at 2464 U.S. Highway 6&50, Unit 124, in the Grand Mesa Center on Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. and open in its new location on Dec. 17 at 8:27 a.m.

The move was a product of perfect timing and opportunity and made sense, according to Katie Macarelli, director of public relations for Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets Inc., which does business as Natural Grocers.

“When our lease expired, we took a step back and looked at what Grand Junction shoppers were asking for: easier access; better parking; and more room for an upgraded shopping experience,” she wrote in an email interview. “The new site gave us the chance to stay close to our current customers while moving into a space that’s larger, more efficient and better suited to the way people shop today.”

The 18,799-square-foot unit, one of three commercial units in the former Sutherlands building, checked the right boxes for Natural Grocers, and Macarelli added, “We’re also hoping the proximity to the (Mesa) mall might help attract new customers.”

The new store is 3,589 square feet larger than Natural Grocers’ current location, and Macarelli said that allows for a more open layout and improved back-of-house space. She added, the expanded footprint “gives us more flexibility in areas like refrigeration, produce displays and storage.”

The large parking lot makes for “significantly better parking and traffic flow,” she said, and “accessibility, from navigation inside the store to simply pulling into the lot, is a key improvement.”

For things the new location will allow Natural Grocers to do better or offer for the first time, Macarelli listed:

• A larger 100 percent organic produce department.
• An open nutritional-education center.
• More space for more options of premium-quality products at affordable prices.
• A more comfortable, intuitive shopping flow.

“Overall,” she said, “it lets us elevate the Natural Grocers experience while staying true to our standards.”

Macarelli said Natural Grocers recently hired five more crew members, bringing the total to 37 employees.

She added, “This will help us match the increased size and service needs of the new location.”

When customers enter the store, Macarelli thinks the things customers are going to notice immediately are: the store’s larger footprint; a brighter layout and easier access, both inside and out; the expanded produce department; upgraded amenities; and improved shopping flow.

Those, she said, “will be big wins for current customers, and we hope they’ll inspire those who haven’t tried us yet to stop in and experience what a family-operated, Colorado-grown natural and organic grocery store can offer.”

Natural Grocers Makes Reopening Grand

Natural Grocers is hosting a Grand Re-opening Celebration on Dec. 17 as part of its opening day at its new location: 2405 Patterson Rd., Unit 300, in Grand Junction.

The Grand Relocation opening festivities schedule is:

• 8:10 a.m. – Natural Grocers crew will hand out mystery gift cards with $5 to $500 value.
• 8:15 a.m. – Local food bank check presentation.
• 8:20 a.m. – Chamber of commerce welcome.
• 8:25 a.m. – Store manager welcome/ribbon cutting.
• 8:27 a.m. – Doors open to customers.

Rewarding shoppers

Gifts will be given to the first 500 shoppers as the first 250 will get handcrafted Ecuadorian ponchos, and the second 250 shoppers will get handcrafted Ecuadorian backpacks.

From noon to 5 p.m., customers can spin a prize wheel in the Nutrition Education Department.