Healthy Treats Are Bountiful at Little House Green Grocery in Bellevue

 

Do you ever recall feeling excited when visiting your local grocery store?  Usually, the experience for me can be fairly routine, but recently something exceptional happened.  While visiting Little House Green Grocery in the pedestrian friendly neighborhood of Bellevue in Richmond, VA, I noticed plenty of space between aisles, tidy shelves and lots of locally grown food---the way many of us would like all our grocery stores to be.

 

The following are several questions answered by store co-owner Erin Wright.  The other co-owner is Jessica Greenberg.

 

 

1)     How did you all get the idea of becoming business partners in a grocery store? 

 

On New Year's Eve of 2011, Jess and Erin bonded over their desire to see real food made convenient.  With Jess' kitchen experience and Erin's work within the local food movement, they formed a partnership determined to see a new kind of neighborhood grocery, one that valued whole food and the farmers and artisans behind it.  Little House Green Grocery was born.

 

After we had the initial idea, we entered and became finalists in the i.e. competition put on by the Chamber of Commerce.  We met with a new business counselor at the Chamber, which forced us to ask a lot of hard questions about the sustainability of a grocery, a business with notoriously low margins.  We knew we'd have to be creative if we wanted the business to thrive. To do that, we met with lots of small business owners and talked with them about their experiences during the first years of business.  The whole time our vision was clear, that Little House Green Grocery would highlight the producers of the finest food in central Virginia. It is the hope and mission of Little House Green Grocery to become a neighborhood food hub, where classes on cooking, growing and tasting food, as well as events with producers will enhance the great food found there. 

 

2)      What’s the main or specific type of merchandise for your store?

 

Little House is all about healthy food- fresh produce, pastured meats and eggs, local dairy and pantry staples.  We have interesting treats as well and fresh bread delivered daily.  We have a few locally made and essential kitchenwares as well.

 

3)      Do you think having your type of store helps make a positive difference in your neighborhood?

 

We definitely do- the conversation is just getting started about what a healthy food system should look like.  We love thinking about and trying to implement that!  People walk and bike to our store- they bring their kids and they involve their kids in the process of choosing what to eat.  It is a wonderful thing to watch!

 

5)      When was opening day?

 

Our official opening day was December 15, 2012- so just about a year ago!  What a year!

 

 

 

 

Sign at front door of Little House Green Grocery

 

 

6)      Why did you select Bellevue as your neighborhood to open a business?  Did you consider other areas of Richmond?

 

Both of us are Bellevue residents, with a great love for the neighborhood. The sense of community and the support for small businesses in the area made for the perfect spot to try a new kind of corner store- one that has locally and healthfully produced kitchen essentials.  We thought we'd start in Bellevue and see what the demand would be from other areas.  

 

7)      What do you like most about your particular business?

 

We love talking with our customers and the growers and food artisans we work with.  We learn something new every day from them.  We love giving people a beautiful and interesting experience instead of the typically arduous task of grocery shopping.  

 

8)      Would you describe your business as a health food store?  Please explain.

 

Not really- only because health food stores typically have supplements and tinctures.  We focus on the food- hoping that eating a home cooked meal around a table with the ones you love makes you healthy in so many ways.

 

9)      Do you carry any specialty items that could be harder to find elsewhere in the area?

 

We carry a lot of items that are only found in Richmond right now- veggies from small farms, handcrafted smoked meats, small batch preserves, pickles and vinegars, fine chocolates.  Richmond has so many wonderful farmers and artisans- it is an honor to work with each of them!

 

10)   Has business been going well since you opened?  A lot of repeat customers?

 

Yes!  Most of our customers are regulars.  They have been very generous and welcoming to us. We value the relationships we have with all of our customers, and especially with our regulars. They know we want to talk food with them.  They know they can ask us for an item, and even if we don't currently carry it, we will try to find it for them.  

 

11)   What do you think customers enjoy most about being in your store?

 

We love watching people (regulars or new folks) delight in something new, whether it is a new seasonal vegetable or a product that reminds them of something their grandmother made, it is fun to see people get excited about food.

 

12)   Are there items in your store that a chain grocery likely wouldn’t carry?

 

We work with very small farms, both vegetable and meat/ egg farms.  While a large chain would have more need for volume from each farmer, we are happy to be a part of the small farm culture.  It is important to us that we support local small farms and the people who are working sustainably to feed us.  At the grocery, we are able to translate the realities of farming to our customers, and that is an essential part of the value of this small business.  Culturally, we are often shrouded from a lot of information about the origins of our food, and breaking that barrier is crucial to our health individually and collectively.

 

13)   Are there any upcoming plans for expansion and/or improvement with your store?  Are you just happy with the way things are?  Please explain.

 

We are always looking to improve and to build a business that sustains itself.  We are also always looking to be more involved with our community.  We'll have to see what comes up after we reflect on our first year!