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September 23, 2024
FOND DU LAC – With Americans taking note of the benefits of eating a healthier diet, Village Market, located at 806 S. Main St. in Fond du Lac, recently completed an expansion/remodel of its store to meet those changing demands.
Store Manager Crista Tucker said Village Market is a specialty food store providing organic/alternate food options and supplements at an affordable price, with knowledgeable service and information.
“The expansion/remodel was entirely the vision of Owner Jane Braun,” Tucker said. “She used to have multiple locations, but when we moved into our current location (in 2010), we decided to expand within this store. Jane wanted to utilize some of the space we were using as staff areas.”
Tucker said Village Market has been owned and operated by Braun since 1982.
“Village Market has about 250 regular, weekly customers,” she said. “We also have plenty of new faces coming in every day who say, ‘wow, I didn’t know you were here. I was getting my gluten-free stuff at Pick ‘n Save, but there’s so much to look at (Village Market).’ That’s where we shine. We narrow everything down to have options throughout the store for people with different dietary needs.”
More on what’s offered
As a member of the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA), Tucker said Village Market has access to more than 200 suppliers, including local vendors.
INFRA is a purchasing cooperative owned and governed by independent natural and organic food retailers of all sizes working together to leverage a voice in the industry.
“We also listen to our customers,” Tucker said. “If there is something they want us to bring in, we’ll do our research and decide if it’s a good fit.”
Tucker said Village Market caters to all types of diets, including keto, gluten-free, low sodium, vegan and vegetarian.
“We sell only 100% certified organic produce that is sourced locally whenever possible,” she said. “We have strict standards excluding inventory that may contain high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, MSG, sodium nitrates, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics or GMOs.”
Tucker said Village Market also carries body care products, essential oils, aromatherapy accessories, specialty pet items, teas, spices and condiments.
“We also create made-to-order healthy smoothies and have grab-and-go food (options), including salads, sandwiches, bakery items and hot soup made with organic and other quality ingredients,” she said. “We also carry herbs, probiotics, different proteins, meats, cheeses and more.”
Tucker said she estimates 99% of the grab-and-go items are made by Village Market’s kitchen staff.
“We want our customers to know what the ingredients are,” she said. “We try to be as transparent as possible.”
The expansion/remodel
According to the market’s website (villagemarketfdl.com), a major expansion occurred in 2010 when Village Market moved from a 1,500-square-foot store to a 10,000-square-foot space.
Starting with Braun as its lone employee, Village Market now has more than 15 employees.
Tucker said recent expansion/remodel highlights include:
- Three-door freezer dedicated to meat
- Cheese island (a wrap-around cooler)
- More retail space
- Ethnic foods section relocation
- Ancient nutrition section addition
- Sparkling waters/drinks have a designated endcap
- Removing wood panels/prepping floor tiles
- Condiments section relocation
“Meat and cheese are definitely a huge draw for our customers,” she said. “We carry a lot of local options of organic cheeses. This expansion will significantly enhance our frozen and dairy options in our existing coolers and freezers. In addition to the newly expanded meat and cheese sections, we will have more space for more options of milk, yogurt and lunch meat, as well as more space for a broader range of frozen entrees, breads and more.”
Tucker said before the expansion/remodel, “things were slightly scrunched.”
“Now we can have more options,” she said. “We also expanded our pet section as well, so again, just more variety. We even added two little bulletin boards with staff pets. The staff uses (Village Market) products for our own pets, too.”
Tucker said electricians recently wired the cheese island and meat freezer, “so after a lot of hard work by everyone, things are all set to go.”
“There might be a little more work ahead, but it’s exciting to get everything done,” she said.
Health benefits
With people developing more food allergies in recent decades and the need/want to lose weight, Tucker said she’s heard a lot of positive comments about Village Market’s mission.
“It’s been overwhelming at times,” she said. “I think more and more people are realizing the benefits of eating organically and healthier foods. There have been a lot of newer health trends.”
Tucker, who has been with Village Market for about three years, said the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 “changed the habits of many people.”
“I’d say since the pandemic – people were staying home more and maybe not going out to eat as much – we saw lots of growth and noticed a surge in eating healthier,” she said. “We want to provide the community with healthy organic foods and try to promote local things – it ties the community together.”
Store hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
For more information and to view daily specials, visit Village Market’s Facebook page.
