Natural Grocers

I am addicted to this place! Especially Mary’s organic chicken– amazing! Pasture Verde by Vital Farms eggs– so good! Fruits and Veggies are ALL organic. It does cost more to shop here but you get what you pay for. It is very convenient to shop here– food for pets, chemicals, groceries, vitamins and cosmetics.

I don’t mean to be a Vitamin Cottage hater, but I cannot seem to see why I would come here on a regular basis. I usually just stop here if I only need a couple things and I happen to be very close by. The produce seems very overpriced to me. Much more along the lines of Whole Foods, than Sprouts. I am quite happy with what I get for my money at places like Sprouts. But, on my most recent visit here, I left Vitamin Cottage with some so-​so tomatoes and a couple sad jalapenos, that seemed to cost 3 times what I would normally expect to pay. I have looked at other items around the store, and they also seem to be mirroring Whole Foods prices, which is too rich for my blood.
Also, I know they are trying to be green, but the «no free bags» thing can be irritating if it occurs on a day you forgot your reusable ones. Yes, they will offer you a cardboard box, but sometimes that is overkill, and then you have a box at home that you need to break down and stuff into the recycling bin.

Great place for picking up healthy food. Good frozen section. The produce is a bit hit-​or – miss.

My pets are more spoiled than we are. Mostly what I buy here is cat food. They have the best selection in town of healthy non junk filled pet foods. I also really love the value on the bulk items like nuts and dried beans etc. and I always go here to get my spices. You can get a baggie full of most any spice for about ¹⁄₂₀^th of the cost of them in the fancy bottles at the grocery store… just reuse your bottles. One bag will fill them up 3 – 4 times.
They often have great specials on various things that are always fun to snoop through and the staff is super helpful if you are looking for any kind of vitamin or nutritional supplement.

I often need a strange ingredient for some of my healthier recipes and Vitamin Cottage is the first place I consider since there are no Whole Foods’ within 30 minutes of my house. Even if there WAS a Whole Foods, I might make this my first stop because the prices are better.
Random things I like about Vitamin Cottage:
#1. I purchase all of my vitamins/​supplements here. The staff is BEYOND knowledgeable. Go ahead, test them… you will be impressed. If you don’t like what you’ve bought, they will take it back easy breezy.
#2. They sell the best selection of meats I’ve seen in the area. Stuff like alligator and rabbit. Not that I buy them, but it’s cool to see the variety.
#3. They have very reduced prices around the store on items that are getting close to expiration dates. Some of the stuff is frozen meat so that’s no biggie at all if I’m just sticking it in my freezer at home.
#4. Their bulk foods are great. You don’t measure what you’d like but that’s okay by me. All sorts of raw nuts and tons of whole grains. The only place I’ve found hard white wheat berries in town where I can get 2 pounds and not 50.
#5. Maybe this is just me, but I FEEL so healthy just walking into the store. They should bottle that feeling up!
#6. I can walk there if I just need a few items.
#7. A few years ago, one of the staff told me there are no artificial ingredients in the store. Almost seems hard to believe… might have remembered that incorrectly, but I don’t think so.

It’s a rather small store, with an impressive selection for its size. I find that the vegetables and fruit that I buy here are usually more fresh then at Sprouts. The prices are reasonable considering the nitch they cater to. There isn’t a deli or bakery, just a store front here. The clerks are always very friendly. You can get almond butter made while you wait here, for people looking for peanut alternatives. The product here is much more natural then the woman’s hair color on the commercials, don’t let that deter you! I like to buy my pet food here. Also, they have a good variety of organic beans, wheat, etc. in bulk for purchase.