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| - I'll admit, I have a bit of a penchant for "natural food stores" with unique stuff that you just can't find elsewhere--think weird flavors of hummus, strange chocolate bars, tortilla chips somehow made out of beans, ... that sort of thing. Now, I would probably put such places (including Natural Grocers) in the category of being a bit too expensive for standard grocery shopping (especially if you have a big "list"), but that doesn't mean they're not worth checking out. If you're more in just grocery-browsing mode and looking for things that catch your eye, you'll probably find enough items on sale to make it worth the trip. I've stopped in to this location about 5 times and have picked up things like chocolate truffles made with coconut oil, unique salsas & pasta sauces, and veggie burgers (of which there were about 20 varieties to choose from).
Another thing that's nice is what you *won't* find here. According to their website they don't sell products with artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners, partially hydrogenated oils, or MSG. I tend to check ingredient labels pretty closely for ingredients anyway, so it's nice to know that they have a policy of not stocking items with these.
The downside would be that like many other "natural" type stores, this place has a LOT of supplements & vitamins. Probably 1/4 of the aisles are just supplements & homeopathic stuff, which is not my thing, but I guess this is to be expected since the full company name is "Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets."
Lastly I have to say that I'm glad that something took over the old Fresh & Easy space (and really quickly at that). Phoenix, sadly, has far too many deserted buildings & empty lots (many that have been that way for years & years), so it's always nice to see another business move in after one leaves.
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