A drive-by discovery and a great experience. I got rare products, good prices, and sincere advice. Weber's has a wide selection of foods, beauty products, cooking ingredients, and specialty health items in bulk, organic, and locally-sourced. So far they're the only ones I've seen in the Cleveland area with big bags of those high-quality, organic Frontier spices - and I shop a lot.
I think Weber's prices are quite comparable to anywhere else in town, especially Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. That is an amazing feat for an independently-owned business these days. Obviously, you could probably get the same stuff for cheaper on Amazon, but is a savings of $3.74 really "saving money"? And at what cost?
They said they've been open for decades and I see why. With the local-ownership you get honesty, expertise, and commitment to the values of good product, good impact, and good health. When health-nuts themselves do the ordering you know that the shelves will be stocked with what works, not just what sells.
I also respect that they accept cash and cheques only. Whatever their reason behind this practice, it means that they are not serving as enablers in our national problem of personal credit card debt. It also probably saves them from paying tens of thousands of dollars annually in processing fees to credit card companies - a cost that most other businesses pass on to their customers.
The shelves at Weber's are stocked but not choking with product - a practice you see at corporate chain stores aiming to comfort customers with a feeling of infinite abundance. At a smaller store clean shelves mean higher product turnover for fresher items and less waste ($).
I bet that as a business Weber's has weathered many major social and economic changes over the years. The emergence of big box "health food" stores is probably one. Online shopping is likely another. I hope that the mixed blessing of "online business reviews" is another.
Based on their very own descriptive recounting of their experiences, I think that the negative reviewers approached Weber's - a family-owned store - with the expectations and attitude which have been crafted in us by Whole Foods, Inc. It and they speak for themselves.