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news
Planting
Wild Oats next to Trader Joe's
By Alisha Gomez
On-line Forty-Niner
Health food stores
are becoming a surplus in Long Beach with Wild Oats opening
at the Marina Shores Shopping Center.
The largest business
to come to Long Beach so far this year, it has about 125 employees.
Store director Cyndi Okerlund said many of those employees
are Cal State Long Beach students.
Wild Oats also
is going to give back to the community with its "Five
Percent Days," a day where 5 percent of the total sales
go to a certain charity. This quarter, the charity is Long
Beach Organic, a non-profit organization that turns vacant
lots into beneficial green zones, said Kim Woerz, a Wild Oats
spokeswoman.
Wild Oats and Long
Beach Organic are going to build a community garden where
Long Beach residents will be able to plant veggies suitable
for living. Shoppers can participate in this all-day event
April 29.
The Marina store
has the newest looks of the Wild Oats stores and is the first
to open in two years. The design is going to be the new prototype
for all the stores. Despite that it is neighbor to Trader
Joe's, both companies are looking forward to a little competition
and Okerlund said Trader Joe's is hoping Wild Oats will draw
more people to the area.
"It's a great
location," Okerlund said. "We are hoping to cater
to the same kind of guests that Trader Joe's does."
Similar in mission,
Wild Oats is also like a café with its own juice and
java bar, Wild Oats Kitchen, which features pizza, sushi,
panini, salads and much more.
Okerlund said that
they are more than just a health food store.
"We have a
wide variety in grocery, food service, meat and seafood,"
she said. "Our motto is from the hook to the plate in
48."
This motto guarantees
the freshest in their fish products because it is delivered
within 48 hours to the store. Wild Oats offers local organic
produce, natural herbs and vitamins from their Natural Living
section and natural meats, seafood and dairy.
The store officially
opens Wednesday and is giving away a free bag of groceries
to the first 250 people through the door. Doors open at 9
a.m. The address is 6550 E. Pacific Coast Highway in Long
Beach.
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