Area Soldier Killed In Fort Hood Rampage
Oprah's Leaving Chicago?
Marcus Jordan Wears Nike, Adidas Bids Adieu To School
After The Flood
Stolen Booze Truck Found
Chicagoist must have passed Stanley’s Fruit and Vegetables hundreds of times on that 2-mile trek between the Best Buy on North and the Target on Elston, but never really thought much about it. Not big and flashy, and requiring a dreaded left-hand turn (much easier now with the green arrow), it just never really was on our radar. Then, within a couple of weeks, Stanley’s was mentioned to us numerous times. 
“Best produce, fresh and better tasting than other places” and “low prices for produce, especially organic” were common comments. And one time Chicagoist got a little turned around in that area after trying to find a short cut, and our head almost burst into flames seeing a sign “Watermelon $0.49/lb” after we had just paid about twice that at larger grocery store.
Stanley’s is cozy-sized store, a combination of CostCo and Whole Foods with a fun soundtrack playing in the background (we particularly enjoyed Squeeze’s “Pulling Mussels from a Shell” followed by Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical.”) It also fills up fast…we were there at 7am Saturday morning, and there was already a line at the register! The first thing Chicagoist’s eyes were drawn to were the huge containers of Spring Mix salad. The greens! The purples! We almost hyperventilated when we saw the price, $1.98 for one whole pound. Now that’s a lot of Spring Mix! Scooping up a container and thrilled that we were the first people ever in the history of the world to discover this place, we grabbed a cart and started out.
No stranger to marketing, Stanley has put his name on a lot of the items, beginning with the olive oil. Murals along the wall portray bucolic life, and there’s a painting of a woman holding up a sign “Stanley, we love your fruits and vegetables!” There were canned tomatoes mixed in with pickling salt and cans of bouillon mix (beef or chicken), and the thicker nacho chips that allow for maximum scoop potential. And then we see it…a huge section of spices in big containers and very, very cheap. Chicagoist cooks a lot, and we therefore go through a lot of specific ones – garlic, parsley, sesame seeds, tarragon, and cinnamon. Here was a huge section of bulk spices in nice plastic containers with lids allowing you to pour or sprinkle. For example, a 10 ounce container of garlic was only $2.98. You know you can pay twice as much for half the quantity at the big chains.
Then begins the real fun – produce! Oh, yes it is fun. Radicchio for $1.98 a pound! Artichokes, 2 for $0.98! A black seedless watermelon for $0.49! Oh, wait, that’s per pound. But still! Four types of fresh mushroom, crimini, shiitake, portabello, and white caps. Our cart’s contents grow and grow. Then we move into the dairy section, and yes, lots and lots of soy products. We’re fans of vanilla soy milk for our morning oatmeal (which is why we’re always running out of cinnamon), and they carry products like Kefir Probiotic Milk Smoothie (we got hooked on it at the marathon expo…and it’s “pro” biotic, not “con” biotic, so it must be good for us somehow). Amish blue cheese? We’re there! Seven grain bread, basmati rice (white and brown), and cereals. You could seriously do a majority of your shopping right here every week.
We then move into the organic food section, and it takes up about 1/3 of the market. We find some black carrots (black watermelon, black carrots…apparently in the vegetable world, black is the new green) for $0.98/lb. As we move towards the cashier, we see the shelves of candies, dried fruits, and nuts. And there they are, the holy grail of foodies everywhere…pine nuts. Always expensive. But once again, Stanley’s comes through for us…$9.98 for 14oz. We begin to think that this will be enough to eat out right out of the container, not save for special occasions, like we do with our interview/funeral suits. Never again will I buy produce at those corporate monstrosities known as grocery stores (although I will have to submit for other sundries, dammit). For an excellent finish to my trip, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted warmly by my cashier and thanked by the bagger (who did a great job, which is a nice change of pace, ahem other stores!). Folks, Stanley knows what he’s doing, so get yourself to the corner of Elston and North for your own treasure hunt.
Stanley’s Fruits & Vegetables
1558 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 276-8050
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 6am to 10pm; Sunday 7am-10pm
Thanks, Colleen!
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
holy shit that's cheap for artichokes. being used to the 4/$2 packs at Marc's back in the Cleveland area, it's nice to know I can enjoy them again.
however, is that price on a bag o' pine nuts cheaper than at Costco? i can't remember, as i bought mine a year ago and still have not depleted them.
props on this write-up, rb.
actually, colleen, who's auditioning for one of the chicagoist food positions, wrote this. it's great!
well then, props to colleen! :)
Stanley's is great, one of Chicago's hidden treasures. (So much for keeping it quiet...) I never noticed their soundtrack before, but that's much better than the other shops' "Songs from the 70s and 80s you didn't need to hear again."
I love me some Stanley’s! A Sunday night staple for my weekly grocery shopping rounds (Stanleys -> Whole Foods -> Trader Joes). The store has improved 100 times over the last year. Used to be half the size as it is today. Their selection has improved and things look much cleaner and nicer AND you actually have room to move!
My girlfriend always wants me to take here to Stanley's (she doesn't have a car). Their prices are a lot cheaper than Jewel and Dominick's on most things. My only complaint is that they recently switches pita suppliers. I liked the fresh ones they used to get from one of the middle eastern bakeries on Devon. Now they have these Greek factory-made ones...
Stanley's is my favorite grocery store in the city! I can't even look at the produce at Jewel anymore...besides the obvious price difference, the quality and freshness just can't compare. I swing by Stanley's and then to Andy's Deli for chicken and I'm all set!
Am I the only person who isn't so keen on Stanley's? Everything I've ever bought there has been pretty ripe and tends to go bad within 48 hours. Though I suppose that could explain why it's so cheap. There are so many wonderful produce places in the city where the stuff I buy actually lasts longer than 2 days.
Stanley's is neat, but I have heard many people tell me that it's not as good as it used to be.
Living in the EUV now, I visited recently for the first time, and found that the four tomatoes I bought, which looked fine and were firm when I bought them, and washed with water and a little soap, were COVERED in mold the morning after in the veggie bowl on my table.
I had other stuff from there go bad within a couple days. It was pretty surprising.
I'll give 'em another shot though.
I shopped at Stanley's pretty regularly for a while, until the mold started to bother me too. It's great if you're going to eat the food right away, but I've found that the Rogers Park fruit market is vastly superior in freshness and has almost all the same stuff, though the yuppie-food and organic quotient is lower. Plus, at the RoPa market you can your week's worth of Jamaican virility elixir too!
agreed with the last few posters; you gotta get a jump on the stuff you buy & don't overbuy. stanley's is great for some things, but it's cheap for a reason.
we used to always go there when we'd cook up a storm for large parties; use it up quick & you're fine, otherwise, watch out for the mold.
In my experience, it just depends on the day. Sometimes you can't find a ripe enough avocado for the guoc you are craving that second, and other days there are piles of soft black ones on sale, 4 for a dollar. Their selection varies; try checking out what looks good that day and evaluating the ripeness of different items before planning your week's meals.
I myself must agree most of the stuff is cheap, but I get so surprised when I see that certain people buy the softest vegetables, it won't go moldy unless you pick the soft and smushed produce, one thing is true you can get pretty carried away at times and end up paying lotz $.
One suggestion to keep food from getting moldy is to refrigerate and to wash the produce right away. Don't keep them for months in those bags. And oh yez without a doubt our store is awsome in "some" prices and the music. Where else can you buy green leaf lettuce at $.49/each while listening to The Cure, and to that "8675309 Jenny" song, oh and don't forget of us cashiers we're the best, hell yeah working everyday for ya'll!
Having moved to Chicago from Minneapolis a few months ago, I was immediately struck by the lack of real, proper organic food cooperatives... the closest thing (and possibly the furthest considering the big box nature of the company) is Whole Foods, and frankly, let's not kid ourselves. It's a shame spending obscene prices for produce to a company known for its Wal-Mart gentrification tactics and less than savory labor practices.
So Stanley's was a sight for sore eyes... my first walk around the place led me to wonder if I needed a cooperative membership, because the organic prices were -so low-. Fair Trade Organic coffee beans (Equal Exchange - the largest US distributor of certified Fair Trade coffee) are also the lowest-priced in town, matching the Twin Cities food coops' average cost of 8 bucks a pound (compare this to 12 bucks for 12 ounces at Whole Foods and other such places). (To respond to the person commenting on the irritation with Stanley's decision to switch pita manufacturers, I couldn't agree more! I'm heading there on my bike right now,, and I'll place an inquiry this time about just that). And re: the mold issue, at least its a good sign that your tomato isn't so completely biogenetically rewritten that it will last three months in the sun without showing a change. Buy in small quantities, and often.
Real food, great prices, a real cooperative feel. Thanks, Stanley's!
Hey people just wanted to say that the old pita bread is back. Plus check out the new items. Remember hours are mon-sat 6-10 and sundays 7-10. Peace.
I found my first trip to stanley's overwhelming. And I was pleasently surprised to hear that they were open so late in the evening. I did not have any mold issues, but I do have to say that my broccoli did get a bit on the bendy side, but I believe that was because I bought the cheaper kind.
I love stanleys!
Well even though it's a nice place to shop at, it's really not as pleasent as everyone thinks. for us who have worked there, is a nightmare. Been only 16 or 17 and having to work over 40 hours a weeks with no days off and then not been able to even spaek in front of customers or in other languages if its not English or even taking a sip of water while your there without getting yelled at can be pretty tough.
Indeed, it is a nightmare to work so many hours, but for me personally it feels awsome that after a long week of school I get to stanley's and see my kool customers and friends...it's even kool to go get the carts from the parking lot!!! So when I say good morning on saturdays and sundays believe me I really mean it...I love my customers, especially those who are really amicable with us.
shout-outs to my favorite girlz (irma, jenny, karla,laura 1 - red hair, marlen, fabby, cynthia,laura 2 -blond hair, lupe).
-peace
Note--I just called to confirm Stanley's hours--they are only open until 9pm today (Sunday), not 10pm as the article stated.
remember please... you are in the united states of america, and yes i know that this is a melting pot of people from differnt nationalities and languages, but when i came here along with my parents we had no choice, but to speak english. I feel it is not only alright for your employer to specifiy what language you will speak at work, but it is also rude to the customers and other employees who don't know that language. remembering a time before i knew english well adn hearing people speak in front of me i was not sure of what they were talking about. Customers can feel threatned or treated badly if this continues. To this day when I higher a new worker for my business I make sure they can understand both spoken and written english well. Your employer is RIGHT IN THIS CASE.
onthe business note, I absloutlely love this place to buy produce, i am a farmers daughter and miss it so simce coming to the city.