I went to opening day of Natural Grocers and think it is going to be

[Dekoung]

big competition for Dodson's. It is huge and has much more produce and refrigerated products than I thought it would. They are practically all around the perimeter aof the store. Plus the usual and more supplements and stable products. I do wonder if it is stocking more inventory than Norman would use in a timely manner.

[badfish77]

I never thought Dodsons had very good produce, I did buy supplements there though. I guess its officially open now?

[badfish77]

Ok, Im answering my own question. Open. Very nice place, I love the bulk herbs dept. good prices as well. I will definately be a shopper.

[Brett]

I happened to stop by while in Norman this weekend and thought it was a pretty cool store. I don't regularly shop health food stores so my only comparison is to Akin's in OKC. The store is a great fit for the building that used to be the Ace Hardware.

[Soonerman]

Which Ace building is this located in?

[kevinpate]

Which Ace building is this located in?

south side of west main.

[Questor]

I shopped there this week and enjoyed it. It is a much larger store than I had expected it to be. It is *almost* the one-stop store that Norman has been needing to land like Whole Foods. Where it comes up short is although it has fresh fruits and vegetables that section could be larger. There is a frozen meat section but unless I missed it there is no fresh/unfrozen meat section, and there's no real deli. But I did notice there is a large open area towards the front of the store that could probably house a deli one day, so maybe that will come later.

The selection and general variety is much larger than the other natural food stores in Norman, and they have better (longer) hours. They seemed extremely busy while I was there.

Oh yeah one last note, the store is very accommodating for folks with food allergies and special dietary needs. Items on shelves are clearly labeled with their price but also symbols indicating if the item is vegan, gluten free, etc.

[j7m7l7]

Shopped this store in Colorado for years and glad to see it made it to OK. It accommodates many natural/health food needs and is pretty easy to get around. Still not on par with Whole Foods or Central Market, however, in terms of size, selection, or ready to go food, deli, etc.

It is nice to have a smaller store feel, which Whole Foods does not provide as much of. One day it would be nice to have both options in Norman though.

[BG918]

Shopped this store in Colorado for years and glad to see it made it to OK. It accommodates many natural/health food needs and is pretty easy to get around. Still not on par with Whole Foods or Central Market, however, in terms of size, selection, or ready to go food, deli, etc.

It is nice to have a smaller store feel, which Whole Foods does not provide as much of. One day it would be nice to have both options in Norman though.

I think that day will be soon, within the next couple years. No idea where they would go but a Norman/south metro WF makes a lot of sense.

[OUman]

UNP would an ideal location for it.

[Questor]

UNP would an ideal location for it.

Agree!

[Questor]

I need to make a correction -- Natural Grocers does indeed have fresh beef, chicken, etc. It is on the row over by the vegetables. Either they just added them or on the day I went (opening day) things were so crazy that particular refrigerator was completely emptied out.

Also although they don't have a deli per se, they do have many fresh cheeses and lunchmeats from Applegate Organics. There's even an isle full of (green) cleaning products, tissues, and such.

After today's visit I realize it is a one-stop shopping experience after all. Yay!

[Questor]

Also want to say it is really great to have a store that has products that are USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO, and Certified Humane. I'm a bit of an animal lover (not vegetarian though... I don't have a problem with eating meat I just don't think we need to be cruel or thoughtless towards the animals in doing so) and so I try to vote with my pocketbook for companies that make an attempt. Until recently there were few or no options to even make that vote. Glad it's an option now.