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Review: Paramount Room
Yesterday Chicagoist checked out the new kid on the organic grocery store block, Sunflower Markets. Located at 1910 N. Clybourn Avenue and festooned in orange and yellow, Sunflower Markets is looking to give everyone who cries at the Whole Foods checkout counter, or who finds the produce selection at Trader Joe's a little lacking, an alternative shopping experience. As we walked around the brightly lit, easily manageable aisles we found that some items (organic orange juice, eggs, young chickens) were, in fact, less pricey than at the aforementioned competition. Though some items like our beloved Amy's cheese enchiladas seemed to be selling at the same price. Because this was a "sneak peek" we helped ourselves to the myriad samples of cheese, wine, pizza (served to us by girls in bright green vinyl dresses), potato salad (especially tasty) and delectable chocolate peanut butter desserts.
We listened as Glenn Backus, general manager of the store, extolled the virtues of their first Chicago location and promised more stores to come throughout the area. We did wonder why Sunflower Markets chose a stretch of street already housing two other similarly geared grocery stores ... but we've decided that the new kid doesn't want to just fit in, they want to stand out!
Sunflower Markets is new not only in Chicago, but overall, its first store opened in Indianapolis this past January. Their motto is "good natured savings" and their intent is to make shopping organically easy. Backus said at one point in his welcoming speech that "Life is complicated enough as it is. Grocery shopping doesn't have to be." We certainly agree to that. The store has self-checkout lanes as well as pay-by-touch finger scanners to speed your exit from the store. In an effort to stay in touch with the community the store also stocks products from 24 different local businesses including Red Hen Bakery, Plitt Seafood, Goose Island Beer Company, El Ranchero (mmm, tortilla chips) and Chicago Soydairy. Their selection of frozen goods beats that of Whole Foods, is certainly more aesthetically pleasing than Trader Joe's, and is complete with an array of Boca and Gardenburger products (not to mention a healthy ice cream selection for vegans and non-vegans). Overall, we were impressed, especially when we got to be in a photograph with Franco Harris (formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, currently involved in organic bread).
Whether or not this new kid will go on to become the prom king or get his head stuck in a toilet is unclear, but we certainly will come back for more.
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Your link to the Chicago Soydairy site is broken. Not that I give a fuck for anything soy, but I hate broken links on Web pages.
I'm intrigued as hell at the prospect of organic foods at reasonable prices...but...does anyone else find the fetish GoGo dancers a little odd?
does anyone else find the fetish GoGo dancers a little odd?
Odd?? I'm lovin' it! If those dames are there all the time, this is my new grocery!
I'm thining they roll with Franco...
Hey, I'll have to check this place out. Funny that there are so many 'health' stores juxtaposed right next to the junkyard where they crush cars, and the air always smells like coolant fluid and battery acid.
Location?
Yesterday Chicagoist checked out the new kid on the organic grocery store block, Sunflower Markets. Located at 1910 N. Clybourn Avenue and festooned in orange and yellow...
does anyone else find the fetish GoGo dancers a little odd?
Funny how people's bedroom "kinks" get consciously expressed in the working world
i was at trader joe's the other day and there was a sign at the checkout mentioning new stores opening soon in chicago. i asked where, and he rambled out locations where all the new whole foods are opening. south loop, broadway/lakeview, etc...positioned exactly how TJ's are now, a few blocks from a Whole Foods. what about sharing the good food love to communities that new, clean, and nice grocery options? Like Hyde Park, South Shore, Logan Square, Old Irving?
Looks like Sunflower Market is doing the same thing. All the progressive grocery stores bundled in all the high income areas. that fucking sucks.
BUT Sunflower market has this totally cute vitual sunflower you can download from there website. you water it and watch it grow!!! mine just flowered!
Looks like Sunflower Market is doing the same thing. All the progressive grocery stores bundled in all the high income areas. that fucking sucks.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I'm actually shocked that a Trader Joes or something hasn't opened in the Wicker/Ukranian/Bucktown area. The area's certainly not lacking for people with enough money and interest to shop there. Seems like a no-brainer.
"Looks like Sunflower Market is doing the same thing. All the progressive grocery stores bundled in all the high income areas. that fucking sucks"
Word! Especially after FINALLY getting tired after five years of playing "fish for non spoiled packaged meat at Tanguis "Fresh Foods" in Logan Square. I have to open, smell and toss that, that’s clearly spoiled back and purchasing what remains. Yesterday, I actually tossed back moldy pork. So I finally called 311 and then the health inspector the next day. After five years I'm just tired of it
Did the manager mention that Sunflower Markets is a division of the mega-supermarket chain Supervalue, which includes Jewel-Osco and Albertons?
http://www.supervalu.com/sv-webapp/retail/retail.jsp
Guess the big boys are finally seeing the value in organic.
Too bad you have to dig to find this information but the last poster is correct, Sunflower is owned my the mega-chain "Supervalu"... try this link
http://www.supervalu.com/sv-webapp/retail/banners/sunflower.jsp
That is not to say they dont have good food, afterall Trader Joe's is owned by the same family that owns Aldi.
Scott, FYI, in my browser (IE6), the lede is bumped off to the side, which is why a previous poster asked for the address. I didn't see it at first either.
I agree with the sentiment of previous posters. When I saw this was at 1910 Clyborn, I thought, "oh well it might as well be on Mars." I won't go near the Schumburd-in-the-city that is that area. I live in dense, gay/professional-heavy Edgewater (near Thorndale and Broadway) and, other than a very small organic market that I am in no way knocking, we don't have jack shit in the way of this kind of retail. None of these companies seem to want to "gamble" on sorry old Edgewater, even though a TJs would be absolutely mobbed if they opened one here. It's really frustrating.
I saw the same problem in IE6. It is caused by the align attribute in the tag for the first image in the story:
Get rid of the align attribute and the problem will go away.
I went to that Sunflower Market today. It is pretty awesome. Their produce is as good as I have seen. The prices are way cheaper than Whole Foods. The whole plaze felt different - sort of a little European Market - very cute. They are also close to Trader Joes so I can just blow off Whole Paycheck now and shop Sunflower and Trader Joe's.
I went here today and everything was fantastic until I got to the checkout area. While I was purchasing my groceries, a very pushy member of the sales staff, what looked to be a manager, asked me if I wanted to sign up for the 'finger print' option of payment. I politely declined. Then she kept pushing why. I started to say that it made me uncomfortable and I didn't fully trust it when she went OFF.
She then proceeded to lecture me on why people were afraid of ATMs at first, but that it was harmless and trustworthy. I tried to continue on to say that I just didn't want to try it and she interrupted me again to keep going. Finally, she let it go, after treating me very rudely, but when she asked my roommate, who was purchasing groceries behind me, and I shuddered a 'man, I just can't do that' and said, 'it just doesn't feel right,' she went OFF again and asked if I was speaking for my roommate, now, or if I was good enough to let my roommate finish.
It was off-putting and there was no way I deserved that treatment. She pressed on, speaking condescendingly the entire time, and ignored everything I had to say after that point. The gentleman in charge of the sign-up was laughing at the exchange the entire time. I felt mortified and confused why she acted like that.
I don't think I can shop at a place where someone makes me feel bad for not wanting to do something that is completely optional and is a giant bitch throughout the process. I wondered how she spoke to people who were actually rude in response to her request.
was she dressed in one of those funny green vinyl costumes during the argument?
Those girls look like they just came from a Filipino car show.
SPD and Mike> Thanks for the tech heads-up. I think most of us are using Firefox or some other browser so we don't always see stuff like this.
We had some CSS stuff set up but with all the tech problems we had in the last month, we stopped using them. We're going to switch back soon and this kind of stuff should no longer be a problem.
Regarding Michelle's Post about the rude check out clerk. It seems sort of judgemental to write off a new store just because one check out person got overly excited/obnoxious about a novelty technology. That is just one person!!! Did you try those organic nectarines? How about the cool produce room? The food was yummy and everyone I saw there was super nice. I've been there 3 times now and all they were all fine. Give it them another try - I think a new store deserves as much. I get a little worked up when a person takes one single data point and uses it to rip down an entire store. I am so happy that they are even here. Let's give them a chance.
I am very impressed with Sunflower Market. The produce section is awesome. The variety and freshness totally seperate it from Trader Joes and Whole Paycheck. The all glass produce cooler is amazing, and the presentation was beautiful. The bakery has some tasty treats also! I sampled some cookies and had some organic plums and starfruit. I will definately be comming once or twice a week for their produce alone.