Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

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Strummer
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Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by Strummer »

Hello all,

DW and I are pondering the location of our next residence after our upcoming move. We're definitely bound for the Pacific Northwest (Washington or Oregon, within an hour or so of the Pacific coast) and I've been using Trader Joe's locations to help guide the decision. It occurs to me, though, that I may be overlooking some locations that have their own outstanding markets, like the Shop'n Kart in Ashland or some of the co-ops I've seen in other places. Does anyone know of stores in this category that are good enough to forego easy access to a Trader Joe's?

Thanks!
Nebraska_Drought
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Location: Lincoln, NE

Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by Nebraska_Drought »

WalMart/Sams/Costco all work well for me and they are everywhere :oops:
runner3081
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by runner3081 »

Used to live in the Seattle area, my thoughts:

Haggen's, PCC, Uwajimaya, Leschi Market

It used to easily be QFC, until they were bought out and rolled into the Kroger family.

PCC Info https://www.pccmarkets.com
Haggen's: https://www.haggen.com
trinc
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by trinc »

in PDX it would be New Seasons.

Tim
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goingup
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by goingup »

Central Markets are terrific. Fresh fish monger, meat counter, gourmet deli section. Homemade tortillas. Three locations--Shoreline, Mill Creek, Poulsbo.

PCC Community Markets also have a loyal local following with a dozen or so locations.

Sprouts recently opened around Seattle area, which I think is similar to Trader Joes but with better produce section. :beer
MoonOrb
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by MoonOrb »

In Seattle area, Town & Country/Central Markets: https://townandcountrymarkets.com/.

PCC is really nice, as well, but just gives me that hipster/upscale vibe that sets my teeth on edge (which says way more about me, I'm sure, than it says about PCC which is in fact a nice supermarket).

Metropolitan Market, too: https://metropolitan-market.com/

However, Seattle also has a zillion Trader Joe's, so you'll never be far from a TJ's if you're in the Seattle area or one of the larger western Washington towns. If you're looking to live on the Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend has a Food Co-op. There's a Costco in Sequim.

If you're looking at the Mount Vernon/Burlington area, there's a Food Co-op there and supposedly a Haggen, which used to be really nice although it's been ages since I've been in one. Within not-too-far drives north or south on I-5 you can find TJ's, Costco, etc.

There are probably not that many locations in the PNW that don't have a TJ's but that do have an awesome supermarket, imo. There are lots of TJ's up here.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by quantAndHold »

PCC, Uwajimaya, and Met Market.
tomsense76
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by tomsense76 »

There are still Trader Joe's up here. So you can easily find that.

There are lots of farmer's markets and co-ops in addition to what others have listed.

We can probably make more specific recommendations if you tell us what towns/cities you are thinking about going to.
"Anyone who claims to understand quantum theory is either lying or crazy" -- Richard Feynman
edgeagg
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by edgeagg »

Uwajimaya is ok, I guess. Personally I prefer H-mart for Korean food or meat. Asian Family Markets are good for Chinese groceries. There are a lot of good Indian grocery stores too. Depends on what you are looking for. After all, Issaquah, WA is the home of Costco and Kirkland Signature comes from Kirkland, WA, :-)

I can count about 4 Trader Joes within about 10 miles of where I live - just outside Redmond, WA. Where are you planning to move to?

EDIT: I am sure that you do know that some coastal towns in WA and OR are susceptible to large tsunamis. We live on the Pacific Ring of Fire after all, so that may affect your choice as well, though not in grocery stores.
Topic Author
Strummer
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by Strummer »

Thanks for all the useful replies! It sounds like there are a lot of good markets to choose from. (The suggestion of New Seasons reminded me that Market of Choice is another good Oregon chain.)

To answer the "which city, specifically?" question, we don't know yet. We'll probably be avoiding Seattle and Portland because we're looking for something smaller and slower than our current home in the SF Bay Area. Cleaner air and less traffic would be nice, too. (We're moving to retire, more or less.) The trick is finding the Goldilocks zone — close enough to cultural resources, shopping, restaurants, health care, Nature, etc., without being somewhere with lots of traffic and all the downsides of lots of people in not so much space. We're quite familiar with Portland, Eugene, Ashland, and Corvallis, and somewhat familiar with the Oregon and Washington coasts and Bellingham, but we plan to explore both states more in person before we commit to a new, long-term residence. And yes, the combination of potential tsunamis and sea level rise means we won't be looking for a place on the beach, as nice as that would be.
chesley
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by chesley »

in Eugene, Oregon and some other cities, Market of Choice is an excellent, moderately-upscale, grocery store. Wherever you folks land, enjoy the Northwest. We love it.
Whakamole
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by Whakamole »

For a smaller chain - at least relative to Kroger (which owns Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertson's/Safeway - Winco is a less expensive grocery store with a large selection, employee owned as well.
mrb09
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by mrb09 »

chesley wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:01 pm in Eugene, Oregon and some other cities, Market of Choice is an excellent, moderately-upscale, grocery store. Wherever you folks land, enjoy the Northwest. We love it.
That's our grocery store as well. We were introduced to it by our daughter at the West Linn location, and part of the criteria for house selection when we moved to Eugene was bicycling distance to Market of Choice :)
CascadiaSoonish
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by CascadiaSoonish »

I'm mainly familiar with Portland's east side, we have some great options: Sheridan's, Flying Fish, Fubonn, Gartner's, and Providore. But for your situation I'd suggest taking a really good look at Hood River OR / White Salmon WA.
Starfish
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by Starfish »

Strummer wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:47 pm Hello all,

DW and I are pondering the location of our next residence after our upcoming move. We're definitely bound for the Pacific Northwest (Washington or Oregon, within an hour or so of the Pacific coast) and I've been using Trader Joe's locations to help guide the decision.
Is this because you really like TJs or because they chose certain neighborhoods with certain population?
If the reason is the first one, I have to say I do not understand. TJs has pretty bad products. I used TJ for over 20 years. They used to have reasonable stuff and good prices but over the years and they eliminated many of the better quality products.
They still have some usable stuff, but not that many, to the point that I do not see any reason to go there anymore.
I understand why people like Costco, good Costco stores (depending on area) have plenty of good stuff, but I really do not understand TJ following.
Topic Author
Strummer
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Re: Great independent/small chain grocery stores or markets in the PNW

Post by Strummer »

Starfish wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:12 pm Is this because you really like TJs or because they chose certain neighborhoods with certain population?
We find TJs to be quite useful but the fact that I started this thread is a sign that we know we can do without them.

It's good to have a Costco around, too. Having options is a good thing!
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