I held out for a long time after B and I moved to Fourth and Gill before I made my first trip over to Three Rivers Market, the food co-op on Broadway. I was afraid of getting hooked on expensive organic and recycled products and being broke because of it. One day I was in desperate need of something -- lettuce or milk, probably -- and completely not in the mood to get in the car and head to the Fellini, so I walked over to the co-op. 
And yes, of course, I fell in love with it. But here's the secret it was keeping from me all along: the prices are hardly more expensive than going to Kroger. I wish more neighborhoods in more cities were blessed to have these kind of neighborhood markets that carry a full stock of your basic grocery items (milk, bread, fruits and veggies, toilet paper, snacks -- anything you might find yourself out of and in need of). I was surprised by how much variety is offered on some items. Sometimes I like to just walk up and down its three little aisles to look at all the wonderful things for sale and feel the creak of the wooden floor beneath my feat.
I love that it's open until 9 p.m. daily, and the staff is super friendly. I love that I can walk there and back in under 15 minutes, although I won't be able to do that much longer. But what will be my loss will be everyone else's gain -- Three Rivers just announced its purchased the spot of what will be its new location sometime in the coming year. The market is moving a hop, skip and a jump away over to Happy Holler at 1100 N. Central St., one block away from Veg-O-Rama and Time Warp. Construction is to begin in the spring, and the good news for everyone else is this location will have much, much more accessible parking.
So Fountain City, you can have your big, expansive brand-spanking-new Kroger (which I admit, has everything under the sun). I'll keep my Three Rivers Market, thank you very much.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
An ode to Three Rivers Market
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7 comments:
Love Three Rivers. I was excited to see they carry Tomato Head Hummus and great local fruit and dairy products. I live out west but try to stop by there when I am in the downtown area.
I also adore the coop! I am glad you fell in love. I find that their prices are very reasonable, as well, with the exception of pasta sauce. It seems to be crazy expensive there! On the other hand, you can purchase large sizes of olive oil for much cheaper than a regular grocery.
this post makes me miss knoxville more than any other one in a long time.
they have great coffee, beer and bread that are hard to find anywhere else. yum.
I live in Fountain City, and I'll take the coop over the new Kroger just about any day of the week.
Does anyone know if they will also now have a butcher and bakery?
Thanks, Modern Gal, for your kind words about Three Rivers Market! We are so pleased to have you as a fan.
I'd like to follow up on a few of the comments that your readers have posted. In our new store, we will be greatly expanding the prepared foods offerings and will have indoor and outdoor seating, a meat and seafood counter, and baked goods.
For those of you looking to satisfy fresh bread cravings, Hogan's Bakery bread, a local bakery specializing in natural and reasonably priced breads, is back in business and back on our shelves--in addition to The Bakery Lady and Tellico Grain breads.
Em, thanks for your input about the pasta sauce. We really appreciate feedback about the products we stock (or don't stock), as it allows us to better serve our customers and community. That said, look for lower prices on our pasta sauces very soon!
I invite you all to become fans on our Facebook page, so you can receive store updates with ease. Thanks for your patronage and we hope to see you soon!
Thanks again,
Crista Cuccaro
Education Services Manager
Three Rivers Market
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