During a recent “on the road” adventure with my daughter we visited The Spice Rack, a locally owned bulk food store in Beavercreek, Ohio. (You have to love a community with a name like Beavercreek!) The owners were working the counter themselves and we had a nice little chat while my daughter and I examined the variety of fun products and made several selections. We had such a good time that I thought I’d share with you a few things I like about locally owned bulk food stores.

Service

I think it’s common knowledge that I purchase some of my pantry items in bulk, but when I mentioned it to the bulk store owner he automatically said that they would be happy to order anything I wanted in larger quantity. As I looked around and noticed the products, she was happy to answer questions and just talk about the stock. Both owners were quick to engage and eager to help. It’s hard to find service like that from an online bulk seller or product knowledge like that in a big box store’s bulk foods section.

Selection

How many kinds of flour do you see in this picture? We don’t have to eat gluten free in our family and I’m not overly concerned with organic, but if you need something special, talk to your local bulk food store owner! The Spice Rack‘s owners were very willing and able to discuss the benefits of the many products they sold. (Again, the service!) They carried specialty flours, an entire wall of spices, and a large assortment of healthier snacks like trail mixes and dried fruit. My daughter was pleased to see the assortment of teas and just had to get a Fruity Sangria blend to try.

Specialty Items

I found items at The Spice Rack that I can’t readily find in my local grocery store. Some of the healthier packaged snacks were new to me and, believe it or not, The Spice Rack carries those colored marshmallows from the leprechaun cereal…just the marshmallows! I also found pretzel salt, which isn’t always easy to find in small town stores. It was such fun to explore!

Shopping Local

It feels good to support a locally owned business, whether the business is local to home or not. I love the idea of supporting a family that is working hard at what they love while providing wonderful service to the community in which they live. We even ended up purchasing some coffee that was roasted at another local business…a two-for-one local shopping win!

(Sometimes) Prices

I’m a very price-conscious shopper and many of the specialty items at bulk stores are outside of my usual grocery budget, but we found cappuccino that was comparable in price to the grocery store brand my father likes, so I bought some to have on hand when he visits. We happened to visit on two-for-one spice day, so I purchased cardamom for my homemade chai tea mix and poppy seeds to make poppy seed chicken. I’m sure I could have come away with many more spices, but I didn’t have a list with me! The two-for-one deal definitely hit my price-shopper sweet spot!

I love buying in bulk and have purchased from online retailers, chain stores, and local bulk food stores, and there’s a place for all three, but the local stores like The Spice Rack are far and away my favorites.

And by the way, nobody paid me anything to write this post. I know the owners and enjoyed my shopping trip so much that I thought I’d share it with you. Where do you like to shop for bulk foods?

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