(Photo courtesy Cascadia Fresh Market)

Three weeks after opening at 5444 Delridge Way SW, neighborhood food store Cascadia Fresh Market is expanding its hours! Here’s the announcement we just received from co-proprietor Jill Moore, including a reminder/clarification about the store’s “Free Fridge“:

We have decided to simplify/expand our hours to be open EVERY DAY from 10 am – 7 pm at Cascadia Fresh Market.

It’s a big ask to get people to change their current shopping habits and instead decide to utilize our neighborhood market. To make it as easy as possible to figure us into any routine, we are expanding our hours to 10 am – 7 pm every single day.

I also want to remind Delridgians about our “Free Fridge,” sponsored by the West Seattle Food Bank. Note that aim of the Free Fridge is to make sure no good food is wasted – therefore, the free items are for everyone who eats food. We believe it’s our community responsibility to use food well, and taking a free banana (with some brown spots) and a green pepper (with perhaps some shoulder withering) is an act of climate heroism as well as a perfectly legitimate way to feed yourself. Many people do not think to use the free refrigerator because they kindly want to save the food for those with higher food-support needs. While that is a lovely thought, we want you to know there is enough food to discard that worry instead of the food. The Fresh Market always generates new refrigerator inputs (nature is on its own schedule). If the free refrigerator were being consistently emptied by folks, we would bring additional food for donation from our Auburn warehouse – similar to the way we filled Carrot Man’s Carrot Stand during the pandemic. There is enough affordable food to buy enthusiastically at the market, AND to take for free from the Free Fridge anytime you see something useful for your meal. The Free Fridge is for everyone, and utilizing it keeps the food fresher for all.

In addition to fresh, affordable food – and many other items too, as shown in our story from its first week – the Cascadia Fresh Market plan includes support for local schools. Its proprietors – who own Cascadia Produce – are committed to at least a four-month trial period so they’re hoping you’ll come shop and prove the need for a permanent place in Delridge to buy good food.

(WSB photo, Delridge Farmers’ Market, May 2023)

If you haven’t already seen this in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – the Delridge Farmers’ Market is returning this year, for five months of Saturday sessions, starting this weekend (May 18). We just received the full announcement:

The Delridge Farmers Market, a cornerstone of this Seattle neighborhood, is proud to announce its highly anticipated fourth season, from May 18th to October 26th, 2024. This vibrant community market is organized by African Community Housing & Development (ACHD) and prioritizes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) entrepreneurship and access to fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant foods in Southwest Seattle.

Nestled at 9241 18th Ave SW, between SW Cambridge St and SW Roxbury St, the market welcomes locals and visitors every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. It offers a diverse array of locally sourced produce, flowers, prepared food from global chefs, artisan goods, and more. The market is spearheaded by ACHD, a Black-women-led nonprofit serving King County’s African Diaspora. Bilan Aden, Vice President of ACHD, emphasized the market’s role as a social and economic nexus, stating, “We are proud to cultivate a welcoming market that supports our small businesses. We look forward to seeing everyone come together and support our local vendors.”

The Delridge Farmers Market is a vital resource, bridging the gap in this neighborhood’s access to healthy produce and resources. In 2023, over 25,000 pounds of free produce and over $33,000 worth of basic needs (i.e. diapers, hygiene and personal care products, etc.) were distributed to families in need. Additionally, health and wellness pop-ups, vaccine clinics, blood pressure checks, and health education workshops are available.

In alignment with its mission of inclusivity, the market provides free produce bags and accepts various forms of food assistance, including SNAP/EBT, Fresh Bucks, and WIC/Senior FMNP. Additionally, the Kid Bucks Program ensures every child attending the market receives a $5 voucher to spend on nutritious food. The Delridge Farmers Market invites everyone to celebrate local businesses, foster community connections, and support a healthier, more equitable Southwest Seattle.

For more information about the Delridge Farmers Market or African Community Housing & Development, visit their website at achdo.org/delridgefarmersmarket.

On its opening day this Saturday, the market is also part of the One Seattle Day of Service, and Mayor Harrell is expected to visit in the early going.

Opening weekend is in the (shopping) bag at Cascadia Fresh Market (5444 Delridge Way SW), West Seattle’s new “fresh-food bodega.” Now, it’s full steam (or another cooking method of your choice) ahead to see if this four-month experiment works.

Co-proprietors Jill Moore and Jeremy Vrablik opened the doors after closing time tonight for a by-invitation open house to explain the market to community leaders. We dropped in to look around at what they’re selling – which will change, depending on the fresh “wholesale recovery” food they access through their main business, Cascadia Produce. And it’s not just produce!

On the shelves tonight, we saw spices, sauces, grains, beans, pastas, grits, muffin and pancake mixes, syrups, masa flour, peanut butter, canned salmon, beef jerky, canned corn, canned chipotle peppers; refrigerated and freezer cases held a variety of items from butter to yogurt to single-serving ice cream … and then of course the produce displays. Mangoes were a hit last weekend, Jill noted, and some are still in stock:

Citrus, tomatoes, tomatillos, lettuce, other salad greens, avocadoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, yams, berries (another popular item last weekend) … Did we mention the bottled Jarritos soda and Mexican Coke? Everything has a single-item price (Trader Joe’s style, no weighing). The idea is to get you to shop for smaller quantities, more often, so you’re always eating fresh.

As heard in her short speech in our video above, Jill had a message directed at some of those in attendance – “Watch how it works – then I’m going to ask you to help make it happen” in many places, since she believes it’s a model that she thinks could work in “food swamps” (lots of food, but not healthy food) and “food deserts” all over the city, and beyond. Those there to listen included State Sen. Joe Nguyễn and City Councilmember Rob Saka:

Also there, managers from the West Seattle Food Bank, which already partners with Cascadia Produce and is involved with the new market, including sponsoring a “free fridge” that’ll be the last stop for some unsold food:

Cascadia Fresh Market is for everyone, and they hope shopping there will be enough of a delight that everyone who visits will want to come back. Maybe to see what’s new – maybe to take a break in the bright, light-filled seating area. Maybe to answer a trivia quiz by the checkstand. Or if you have kid(s) with you, for the games they can play. And/or because it’s ADA-accessible – people using wheelchairs and strollers have already rolled in. Plus – no alcohol sales, a potentially appealing aspect to those in recovery. Meantime, the partnership with local schools that Jill described in our preview story is about to launch – and Jill says she’ll be talking about the store to anyone who will listen (and shop). Hours are 10 am-7 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon-6 pm Sundays and Mondays.

(Photos courtesy Cascadia Fresh Market)

We’ve been telling you about Cascadia Fresh Market, aiming to attract everyone to the storefront at 5444 Delridge Way SW for affordable fresh food, seven days a week. The store soft-opens Friday and officially opens this weekend. Co-proprietor Jill Moore sent these photos today as she reported, “First fresh food is rolling in to the market! Berries and mangoes and grapes and kiwis (all $1-3) will greet customers as they drop in for our opening thus weekend.”

Jill and husband/co-proprietor Jeremy Vrablik, a Highland Park couple who own wholesaler Cascadia Produce, say the market is “produce-focused, but will have other cooking staple items and some simple, sweet treats.” (Read more about the plan here.) They’re planning this as a four-month test – if it goes well, they’ll talk with building owner DESC about a long-term lease. So if you like the idea, go shopping as soon as you can. Hours will be 10 am-7 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon-6 pm Sundays and Mondays.

As announced two weeks ago, the volunteer-run Delridge Grocery Co-op is ending its storefront retail operations – but first, three more days during which you can shop at the 5444 Delridge Way SW store and get discounts – here’s the DGC reminder:

This is the last weekend the Delridge Grocery Co-op will be offering store hours as we wind down our operations. We’ll be open during our regular weekend hours — Friday 3-7, Saturday 9-3, and Sunday 11-3 — and will be offering great deals on our remaining inventory. April 21 will be our last day of store hours.

Everything in the store is discounted by 15% for EVERYONE, along with additional savings on select items — including 50% off all home, kitchen, and personal care items plus gifts and greeting cards.

Our volunteers will be working hard this weekend to start getting the store in shape for the upcoming Cascadia Produce pop-up (scheduled to start May 8), so we will have more to share with you in the next week.

Some information about the “pop-up” – which will actually be a 7-day-a-week shop – is in our April 5 report.

A shortage of help for the volunteer-run Delridge Grocery Co-op store has led to a change in plan for the longtime nonprofit, which has its roots – several generations of volunteer help ago – in an idea that sprouted in 2009. The DGC has announced that it will “end storefront operations by April 30” in the space at Cottage Grove Commons (5444 Delridge Way SW). But that space won’t be vacant – and will still be dedicated to affordable, healthy food. And the DGC isn’t entirely hanging up its collective apron. If you’re not on the DGC mailing list, you can read the full announcement here. In short, three years after DGC was finally able to start opening its storefront to the public, then steadily growing its inventory and opening hours to five days a week, the road grew bumpy, as explained in the announcement:

Unfortunately, over the course of the last year, the numbers of our board of directors and core volunteers has dwindled to a much smaller group, causing larger loads of work to be added to fewer shoulders. Additionally, we faced rising prices due to national inflation growth, changes in post-Covid shopping habits, and challenges in sourcing products from distributors — all of which contributed to declining sales.

During a board meeting in March, the Co-op’s core remaining group was faced with a dangerously diminishing cash reserve twinned with a declining level of time availability from the cohort. To ensure that all of our financial obligations are met (including paying back several member loans), it was decided that the Delridge Grocery Co-op would need to wind down its operations.

Starting this weekend, the DGC will work toward selling down our inventory at reduced prices with the goal of shutting down storefront operations by April 30.

But, we will also be making way for a new neighborhood business…

Scheduled to start on May 2, run by North Delridge neighbors – Cascadia Produce, run by the neighbors who brought you Carrot Man’s Carrot Stand (also owner-members of the Co-op) will be taking over the DGC space for a four-month experiment that will bring low-cost, fresh food to North Delridge.

Cascadia Produce has unique access to farm seconds and wholesale recovered produce (all vibrant and recently harvested) that will be offered to area residents at super low cost. Best of all, the space will be open daily for extended hours and stuffed with a wide variety of produce options (some of it even organic!). This pop-up will continue the goal of access to fresh, healthy food that the DGC has championed since inception and test a radical new model for fresh food access in urban food deserts.

The DGC is working out the final details with Cascadia Produce and will send them out soon, but we’re all estimating that this pilot produce pop-up will begin operating in May in the DGC storefront. May 2-3 will be a soft open for neighbors and area residents where all are invited to come see the changes and give feedback on what types of fruit, vegetables, healthy cooking staples, and treats (hey, life is short!) belong in in this market. If successful during the pop-up stage, the new model will be adopted long term.

We just talked to Jill from Cascadia by phone and there’s so much more to this than just a “pop-up” – she has big plans for ensuring that everybody in West Seattle knows how to get affordable produce – and plans to partner with a variety of organizations and groups. Shopping at the store will be convenient, at least eight hours a day seven days a week, with a longtime West Seattleite on board to be market manager. Stand by for lots more info about the plan.

In the short run, today through Sunday, the DGC is starting its inventory clearout with a 10 percent discount to all shoppers, co-op members or not, and some additional in-store discounts “including greeting cards, cleaning supplies, fancy cheeses, and more.” Meantime, DGC will continue its weekly Essentials Box program – including “gifted boxes to households in need” – during the Cascadia Produce pop-up time, so if you’re a subscriber, DGC hopes you’ll “stick with us during this time.” DGC has some other FAQ answers in its full announcement.