Photo by Ethan Hickerson
Much like the foodstuffs and products it carries, Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market has grown organically since it opened in 1989.
“I am a careful, cautious businessman,” says owner Rick Hood. “I look at a lot of things, but I only do a few, because I’m afraid they won’t work. There is a lot of pressure to expand, because that’s what you do in America, but that’s not always best.”
From its earliest iteration as City Market on Patterson Avenue, the store’s mission has been to offer safe and healthy options for customers, Hood says.
“When you become conscious about food — what you are eating, where it comes from — it makes you so much more conscious of your life,” he says. “We are always thinking, ‘How do we protect our customers with what we sell?’ ”
The store’s website has an extensive list of banned ingredients — including artificial flavors, aspartame, bleached flour and cottonseed oil, among others — and an invitation for customers to alert the store if a product runs afoul of the list.
“We read everything,” says Colin Beirne, the store’s marketing director. “But some of our vendors will change ingredients on us and don’t tell us. We put this food into our bodies, too, and we want to pass that along.”
Beirne started working for the store seven years ago. He was a customer before he was an employee, because he wanted to change how he ate.
“I didn’t know where to begin, so I started at the hot bar and the salad bar, because I knew what I was putting in my body,” he says. “Then I realized I could make all this on my own.”
Beirne says Ellwood Thompson’s helps everyone with their dietary goals — whether they are driven by health issues or food trends — while connecting people within the community.
“We are a unique outlet for the community to be part of the local food movement and bond with each other,” he says. “We put a face behind who grew that kale, who grew that carrot.”
And the company approach is good for its employees, too, says Assistant Store Manager Marquies Jones, noting that his work for other area grocery stores led him to Ellwood Thompson’s.
Rick Hood co-founded Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market in 1989. Then known as City Market at Patterson and Libbie Avenues, it was renamed and relocated to its current location in 1993. (Photo by Ethan Hickerson)
“I wanted to get away from the corporate feel,” he says. “Ellwood Thompson’s had a good reputation and had been around for a while. I wanted to be a part of that.”
The store’s “stewards” — the company term for employees — know it’s their job to connect with customers, Jones says, adding that he’ll often see and be greeted by store regulars when he’s not at work.
“The whole vibe of the store is appealing; I see the same people every day,” he says. “People can come be themselves, and the bonus is they’re getting good food.”
Jutta Bracy, the essentials manager — think everything from cereal to milk to cleaning supplies — will celebrate her 10th anniversary with the company later this year. She agrees the stewards set the store apart.
“I think we have the best team out there; the people on the floor make a huge difference because they have an interest in the products and in what we present,” she says. “Customers can come with any kind of questions, and we’ll do our best to help them.”
Bracy says she enjoys Ellwood Thompson’s commitment to constantly improving both what is offered and how it’s offered.
“I’ve seen stores where you walk in, and it’s like you’re still in the 1980s,” she says. “This is the total opposite. This is invigorating; I’ve never been bored.”
Bracy and Jones agree that Ellwood Thompson’s was a front-runner in the natural foods and wellness movements. “We are catering to a community that’s become stronger and stronger,” Bracy says, while Jones adds, “Richmond is catching up with the store.”
Over the years, Hood says, it’s been important to pay close attention to market trends and competition as well as to carefully manage growth. The store’s position on the edge of Carytown is “the best location in Richmond for what we do,” he says, noting the market has been able to expand eight times in its current spot. Those additions make for a “quirky” floorplan, he notes, but create the opportunity to revamp departments and adapt to change.
Seeking more good change, in late 2013 Hood convened a gathering of participants in the local food movement to connect those with similar interests and goals. That group, now called Real Local RVA, brings together independent grocery stores, restaurants, food growers and supporters to advance a shared belief and joy in local food.
“More and more of our population wants local food; let’s work on that together,” he says. “You’re better off collaborating than you are competing. Together, we’re bringing in new vendors, working more deeply with small distributors.”
The local food movement isn’t just good for people’s health, it’s good for business, Hood says.
“We want to support entrepreneurship in our community,” he says. “The American dream is not to fit in a corporate mold, but to create something yourself. We love small. Small is beautiful.”
