Organic Marketplace (Gastonia, NC)

Organic Marketplace (OMP) has been a retailer for 25 years, and during that time, the size of the store has adapted and grown, along with its business strategies.

“We started in 800 square feet doing supplements only, [and] over the years people needed food to support their health programs—the grocery stores at that time were not stocking organics,” explained Renee Southard, the store’s owner. “We slowly moved into a food market. We also started carrying personal care products, as people realized the problems with the ingredients they were putting on their bodies. Soon, we grew out of the space and moved a few blocks to our current location of 5,000 square feet. We opened a restaurant (Sprouts Cafe), catering to special needs diets and organics. We put raised beds in the back and grew many of the herbs and vegetables we served in the cafe. We have always been strong in education in the store and our community as well, as we are very active in our community which has just become a Bee City!”

Bee City USA supports raising awareness of the role that pollinators play in communities and works toward creating sustainable habitats for bees. In fact, according to Bee City USA’s official website, one in three bites of food we eat is courtesy of insect pollination. OMP is a Bee City USA Affiliate Committee Member.

The Layout

According to Southard, OMP can be broken down into the following sections:

• 30 percent grocery, including cooler and freezer

• 20 percent HBA (health and beauty aids)

• 50 percent wellness

Respectively, the revenue percentages are 25-, 30- and 45 percent per section, which reflects the space that the retailer allots to each department.

Southard noted that the town of Gastonia is located on the outskirts of Charlotte, a hub for chains and other independents. The retailer stocks a well-curated variety of dietary supplements and natural products.

“We do a considerable amount of business with Terry Naturally—love the curamin products and his OPCs; we do well with all the products we carry from them,” Southard said. “Nordic Naturals is our principle fish oil line and Enzymedica is our go-to enzyme company. We sell Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth and the Multi Collagen. We love Brenda Watson’s new probiotics from Vital Planet. Host Defense is our mushroom company and we carry Pranarom for organic essential oils and our brand from Mt Alternatives. Our CBD currently is one of the strongest revenue drivers, [with] Straight Hemp being our leader in sales. We do a lot with Garden of Life. We also feel our private label from Reliance and Vitality Works is a key player in the mix in all categories. We also like to have many local and small vendors, such as Hybrid Remedies, WishGarden, and several homemade soap lines. Our customers like that we are first to market with many ‘new’ items.”

And being that OMP first opened in the 1990s, the development of the internet changed the store’s game.

“In the 90s when we began,” she explained, “the ‘health food stores’ were mom-and-pop operations, generally family run. The food and drug companies were not interested in our industry—we were growing and many were opening multiple stores. The challenge actually began when the internet became as involved as it is. Everyone from big box discounters and drug stores carry many of our lines, and the food and drug companies are buying the companies we have all known and loved. Today is a very different picture from that which we came from. We currently run more than 1,000 items on discount on a changing monthly basis, as well as having monthly giveaways ranging from YETI coolers, Vitamixes, kayaks [and] bikes just to name a few that our vendors generously supply to us from our partnership agreement.”

Involvement With SENPA

For the past six years, Southard has served on the SENPA (a natural products trade association) board, being the association’s education chair for five of those years.

It has served as an informative source for retailers, featuring speakers that represent brands that retailers have grown to recognize. This year for example, the “Strategies for Success Road Show” will kick off in Atlanta, GA on May 5 with Dan Chapman of Redd Remedies as one of the slated speakers.

“ … SENPA decided to reach out as an independent trade association to independent retailers to be a source for furthering education, Southard said. “We have been able to secure key speakers and educators in the industry, just as you would see at the trade shows, to join us on the ‘Strategies for Success Road Show.’ We visit four cities changing yearly—we visit the stores to let them know how we support them and their businesses as a non-profit association. We then invite them and their staff to join us on a Sunday afternoon for a day of education and peer networking. They also work with the sales teams of the companies involved with us to get deals for their stores. It’s been a win-win for all involved. It is the highlight of my year to visit these stores and meet the amazing storeowners, and dedicated staff members that make up this wonderful industry we are a part of.”

It’s All About the Customers

OMP prides itself on providing superb customer service with plenty of benefits. Loyalty among staff is also key, as this allows employees to establish long-lasting relationships with customers.

“We give amazing customer service and have a great loyalty program,” Southard concluded. “Our prices are competitive even when they scan codes—many times, we beat that price by passing on the discounts we negotiate from the vendors. My management staff has been with me for 12 to 15 years—we have very little turnover, creating a trust and a dependability that takes time to establish with our customers. They know they will find us here every day.” VR