Mississippi Market Opens Its Third Location This Week

Courtesy of Mississippi Market
Courtesy of Mississippi Market

This post is sponsored by Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op.

Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op, which has been serving its St. Paul neighbors’ natural foods needs for over thirty-five years, will open its third location this Wednesday, Sept. 2. The new store, at 740 E 7th St, St. Paul, features a full-service meat counter, a cheese island where you’ll find a wide selection of local and everyday cheeses, a full-service deli complete with pizza bar, and local, organic food for everyone (psst … you don’t need to be a member to shop) at a fair price.

Courtesy of Mississippi Market
Courtesy of Mississippi Market

Mississippi Market chose to open its third store in Dayton’s Bluff thanks to the hard work of a group of residents from St. Paul’s East Side. This dedicated group formed the Gateway Food Co-op with the goal of opening a storefront in their neighborhood. To achieve the goal, they considered either starting a new food co-op, or working with an existing cooperative that would be willing to open a store. In 2011, Mississippi Market’s general manager met with members of the Gateway Food Co-op steering committee to learn about their wishes. Mississippi Market conducted a market study of the area, reached out to community groups, and met with business leaders to learn how the co-op could best meet the community’s needs. In the end, Mississippi Market decided that a store in Dayton’s Bluff was a perfect fit for the co-op, and its member-owners invested over $1.8 million in the project.

The co-op’s new store brings new jobs to the area, as well as a classroom offering cooking and healthy lifestyle classes to the general public. This helps further Mississippi Market’s mission of creating positive change in the community by influencing the production, distribution, and enjoyment of food. The folks at Mississippi Market believe that everyone should be able to enjoy good food, so they do their best to make healthy food affordable. The co-op has biweekly sales, coupons, budget-friendly bulk foods, and it accepts WIC and SNAP payments. The co-op also offers discounts to limited-income shoppers and seniors — ask about Senior Savings Thursdays.

Courtesy of Mississippi Market
Courtesy of Mississippi Market

Mississippi Market invites you to the East 7th Street store’s Grand Opening event on Saturday, Sept. 26. The store’s new aisles will be full of festive activities, and there will be live music by local musicians.

You’ll find samples from favorite local farmers and producers including L.T.D. Farm duck eggs, Sweet Science ice cream, Salad Girl Organic Salad Dressings, and The Lone Grazer Creamery. There will be face painting, free popcorn, goodie bags for the first 200 shoppers, free apples for kids age 12 and under, grocery purchase giveaways every hour during the event, and prize drawings. Kids can enjoy an activity in the classroom during the event, too.

Ribbon cutting & store opening
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015
8 a.m.
Store opens immediately after the ceremony (approx. 9:00 a.m.)

Grand Opening celebration
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015
10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Courtesy of Mississippi Market
Courtesy of Mississippi Market