Grocery shopping should be an experience, not a chore, or so say the owners of a small bulk foods store set to open in Oil City this week.
Core Goods, located at 219 Seneca St., is preparing for a grand opening Saturday under the ownership of Shaun and Marie Alcorn and Ashley Cowles.
The neighborhood grocery store will provide bulk health foods with a focus on sustainable shopping practices.
Among its offerings will be local produce and flowers, nuts, spices and grab-and-go meals.
“It started as a small idea with multiple sides – healthy eating, working with local businesses and farmers and sustainability,” said Cowles.
Earlier this year, Cowles approached the Alcorns with the idea following the couple’s closure of their Northside Eatery lunch spot where Core Goods is now located.
The Alcorns, who also own The Yellow Dog Lantern and Karma Coffee Company, had merged Northside operations with Karma in March and were looking at an empty storefront.
The couple said they view Cowles as the ideal partner, pairing her knowledge of health foods and social media marketing with their decades of experience in cooking and restaurant management.
“We consider the town a blank slate for things that can happen, and this is the perfect example of people who have the means to help younger people start businesses,” Shaun Alcorn said.
Cowles, who is the program manager for the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, said her interest in healthy eating was piqued in college. It was around that time the now 24-year-old started a food blog, where she maintains original recipes and healthy lifestyle tips.
A food-related business had long been in the mind of Cowles, who said the idea of a bulk foods store was finally cemented when she set foot inside of one in Harrisburg earlier in the year.
“When I walked into that store in Harrisburg, I thought, ‘This is it,'” she said.
Core Goods has come together in the last several months, with the store receiving a fresh coat of paint, all-wooden floors and new signage.
The store received its first food shipment last week from Frankferd Farms in Saxonburg, which produces organic nuts, beans, rice, dried fruit, flours, spices and oils.
Core Goods will also offer fresh produce from more than five local farms spread across Venango, Clarion and Crawford counties, along with specialty vegan and gluten-free items and kombucha, a fermented tea, on tap.
Cowles and the Alcorns have an eye toward zero waste, allowing reusable jars and shopping bags to be used and purchased in the store. To-go meals will be packaged in biodegradable containers, and food waste will be eliminated by utilizing perishable items at the Alcorns’ other nearby businesses, Cowles said.
The trio said prices will be reasonable, and they hope to draw not only downtown residents but a wide range of customers, both local and out of town.
Community feedback has been abundant in the weeks leading up to the store opening. Cowles said there has been much excitement surrounding the new endeavor.
“It’s been overwhelming and humbling to have people excited even before it’s open, which justifies the need for this store. There’s a lot of growth in the area, and I’m excited to be part of that,” said Cowles.
Core Goods’ grand opening will include samples and raffle prizes.
Looking toward the future, Cowles said she envisions expanding the store to offer additional bulk food items and home products like soaps and cutlery. She said she’d also like to teach classes on cooking and sustainable food practices.
In discussing how the store name came to be, Cowles said she settled on the word “core” due to its all-encompassing meaning.
“Core means the central, innermost or most essential part of anything,” she said. “That works because we want to offer not just food, but we want to reflect values that speak to your center and help nourish you.”
This story was written by Marissa Dechant and published in The Derrick. & The News-Herald. Photos are by Richard Sayer. Find this article on TheDerrick.com.