Merchant Reviews

November 14, 2007 This place is very community-oriented and has a great selection of items you won't find in most grocery stores. Also, lots of stuff in bulk, if you're conscious of reusing containers rather than throwing them in the recycle bin or garbage. I've attended community meetings and free classes here. Who else gives you that?

November 14, 2007 LOVE IT! Really, really good cookies and breads. I wish they'd open a gluten free facility.

November 14, 2007 It's a little weird to feel this way about a hardware store, but this place is special. You can tell from the moment you walk up and see their extensive, well tended gardens. The employees are helpful and respectful. Not the biggest selection, but do you really need 70 different kinds of light bulbs to choose from?

November 14, 2007 I like Pastaworks a lot. I don't recommend going there unless you have a bit of cash burning a hole in your pocket, but if I have it, I like to go there. I've gotten some really excellent cheeses there for a Spanish cheese tasting at a friend's house. The woman who works the cheese counter is really good at helping you select the right combination, and generous and patient with the tastings.

November 14, 2007 How did REI get in here? It seems like any time I go in there now, I see more and more products made in China or Taiwan. It makes me suspect they're using sweatshop labor oversees. Here in the US, their labor policies are decent.

November 14, 2007 Now this guy has his priorities right! One little guy really making an effort to make sustainability a way of life. The pizza gets about an 8 on a scale of 1-10, because the dough's not my style, but the ingredients are all top quality and he's doing a good thing.

November 14, 2007 I love the Portland Farmers Market. Where else can you talk directly with the growers, bakers, cheesemakers, etc.? I go as often as I can. It's the place to start your weekly shopping, before you get sucked into the grocery stores, where the produce isn't as fresh.

November 14, 2007 I used to love Whole Foods, before I moved to Portland. It doesn't compare to New Seasons Market in terms of sincerity in efforts to promote healthy foods and healthy workplaces. Still, I shop there once or twice a year for specialty meats or bakery items.