*Before we begin, full disclosure Sprouts reached out to me to do a sponsored post regarding their opening of the EC location, I was given access to the space prior to it’s opening, all thoughts and opinions regarding the space are my own*
A new grocery store has joined the fray in Howard County and it looks like this newcomer could have some of your favorite chains becoming a little uneasy. Sprouts Farmers Market a supermarket chain based out of Arizona has moved east and is planting its flag in Ellicott City. Sprouts’ modus operandi is to deliver fresh healthy food at a low price, they sincerely believe in eliminating food deserts and trying to make healthy food available to everyone regardless of their socioeconomic level. Honestly affordable healthy food is something I think everyone can get on board with. Furthering this ethos the company is committed to eliminating food waste so it has relationships with all the local food banks, so all unsold food goes to local food banks.
What I like about Sprouts is they don’t cater to any one fanatical food trend singling out the rest of the market, they cater to everyone’s stupid/insane/crazy/necessary dietary needs making it a smorgasbord of options for just about anyone regardless of what diet you’re on or medical restrictions you have.
When you walk into Sprouts you notice immediately how bright and how much natural light is in the space, that’s on purpose as they make it a point to construct skylights throughout the space to make it a bright beautiful space, it shows. I like to describe Sprouts has a cross between Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Wegman’s. They have lots of the staples that a normal grocery store such as a Wegman’s would carry but then they go down into the nitty gritty having hard to find ingredients that something like Whole Foods would carry. They don’t have as wide a prepared foods section as Wegman’s does but they do have sushi, sandwich options, salad bar, and some hot meal options (rotisserie chicken etc.).
The biggest thing you notice about Sprouts is their produce. It’s insanely reasonable and very high quality, as a company they seem to emphasize affordable high quality organic produce and it really shows. I mean people they’re selling avocados 2 for 1 dollar! I know all my avocado and toast millennial readers can get on board with that. To go along with that in contrast to Whole Foods that sometimes seems to have a limited produce selection depending on the season, which again nothing wrong with being seasonal, Sprouts seems to do a better job at having a much wider range of options that are all affordable. I like to describe Sprouts has a one-stop shop for pretty much all of your needs, whereas with Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s you usually have to go to another store to fill in the gaps because they just don’t carry everything you need/want.
Similarly to Whole Foods they have an in-house butcher that allows you the freedom to get as crazy and specific as you want with your cuts of beef, poultry, and fish. To go along with the butcher they have a nice selection of frozen meats, which I really like because it allows you the freedom to just have a single serving of meat on a weeknight as opposed to having to make a whole Salmon or a whole package of chicken breasts. And just like Whole Foods if bulk spice/nuts/seeds/grains are your jam they have you covered with a very substantial bulk foods section. Unlike some of the other fancy chains they have a heavy emphasis on running large promotions which heavily discount various items in the store such as vitamin extravaganzas or 20% off all frozen items. Oh and if you spend a 100 bucks you get 10% off your bill so that’s nice too.
Also if your lazy or just don’t have time to go grocery shopping every week, they have a relationship with Instacart which I’m sure will be up and running very soon.
I definitely can see myself making Sprouts one of my grocery staples and I’m sure the folks who live in this part of Howard County will be rejoicing because this is exactly what Rt. 40 needed.
The biggest thing for me was just the overall vibe of the store, I know it was the soft opening but everyone just seemed to enjoy working there. Other stores I’ve been to even at their openings seemed to have low morale, and that has a trickle down effect to the shopper (at least in my opinion).
If I were handing out first impression roses ala the Bachelor, Sprouts Farmer’s Market would definitely be getting my first impression rose. Here’s to hoping they can keep it up for the long haul.
