Charity Freuh didn’t know much about natural foods when she started managing the section at Shop ‘n Kart. “It was overwhelming at first,” she admits. “There is always so much new stuff coming out, it can be hard to keep up with.” Her assistant Monica McLean agrees. But they also agree on something else, something fun – they’re always trying and tasting new things.
“There is food I would never have tried if I wasn’t in this position,” explains McLean.
Freuh adds, “There are things I’ve looked at and thought, ‘Oh, that does not look tasty’ but it turns out to be really good. So we have a lot of fun getting to eat so many different foods.”
Asked to talk about their favorite items, they easily come up with many. Freuh explains, “Our gluten-free offerings are the best in the county. We carry a huge amount of the popular Bob’s Red Mill products.” Bob’s Red Mill is located in Portland, Oregon. It is a very well-known and trusted supplier of natural and gluten-free products.
People are always coming in, asking what we have, seeing if they can get it here. We are also able to do a lot of special orders. For Bob’s products, we have two warehouses we can order from and if they don’t have it we are usually able to get directly from Bob’s.” Their biggest selling item from Bob’s Red Mill is the oats. “That includes all sizes of containers and the bulk, we just sell so much of it,” says Freuh.
Freuh and McLean also report that many customers are surprised by the types of natural products that Shop n Kart sells. “People want cleaning products that have fewer chemicals so we carry a large selection of natural cleaning supplies. We also have a very big section of healthy and natural supplements.”
The duo expects the selection of natural foods and products will continue to grow and expand. “We have already expanded so much that we have moved from just having a section by itself, to placing items in with the ‘regular’ food,” explains Freuh. For example, gluten-free noodles can be found next to regular noodles.
“Plus, every day it seems that something new comes out. Just today, a distributor came in and stocked gluten-free vodka, made from grapes,” says Freuh. She further explains, “Vendors come in weekly asking us to stock their product. Whether we can do it or not depends on a lot of things. For instance, is there room in the section their product would go? Is it something that didn’t sell particularly well for us before, but now they’ve made an improvement, or a package change? Is it seasonal, so depending on the time of year, would it sell or not? All these things have to be taken into consideration.”
Another popular selling item for the store is the self-serve Brew Dr. Kombucha filling station. Kombucha is a fermented drink that is both enjoyable as well as healthy. “It goes over really well,” reports McLean. “People can buy the containers. When they bring them back in, they just get charged a refilling fee.”
Retro soda, called Americana, is a fun line of drinks carried in the store, the largest supply in Lewis County. It’s locally owned and produced by Orca Beverages in Mukilteo. Reminiscent of the drinks many of us grew up with, it is a more natural, hand-crafted drink using cane sugar. One sip of the full-flavored root beer from a frosty glass bottle takes you right back to your childhood.
Honey lovers can get their supply at Shop ‘n Kart as well. One hundred percent honey, it is all Pacific Northwest honey, coming from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. “I love that it comes in several sizes of containers, including a large jug,” says McLean with a smile.
Of course, you can always find fresh, healthy foods in the produce stand at Shop ‘n Kart. Next year they have plans to expand their line of live plants that are carried in the tent.
Customers are often surprised by what they can find at Shop ‘n Kart. Freuh tells the story of a happy customer. “She had received the coupons and saw that we carry Dr. Bronner’s soaps. She didn’t really know that we carried the hand soaps and had always ordered online. So she was excited.”
Freuh says that each coupon or ad shows their regularly carried items as well as the lesser known ones. They encourage customers to keep an eye out for the ads and coupons to help them see what all is available. “I think it’s exciting,” says McLean. “Every time it’s something different.”
Freuh and McLean welcome questions from customers and are happy to help find any product someone might want. “If we don’t carry it, we’re happy to special order it if at all possible.”
Shop ‘n Kart
2100 N. National Avenue
Chehalis, WA
