Organic grocery store coming to Pinecrest Plaza

The possible future home of an Earth Fare store.

Earth Fare, a grocery store that specializes in natural, organic products, could be coming to Pinecrest Plaza in the spot formerly occupied by Staples.

Several Pinecrest Plaza tenants say they’ve heard from their landlord that Earth Fare is coming and are eagerly anticipating having the store in the retail center. The Earth Fare company, however, declined to comment.

A Whole Foods occupied that spot some years before Staples moved in. Staples closed in fall 2016.

Earth Fare was founded was 1975 in Asheville, N.C. There are 49 stores in 10 states in the Southeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. According to the company, the stores only sell food that is free of added hormones; bleached or bromated flour; antibiotics; high-fructose corn syrup; and artificial sweeteners, fats, preservatives, colors, and flavors.

The only Earth Fare store in Northern Virginia opened in January 2018 on Lee Highway in the Kamp Washington area of Fairfax.

Along with groceries, the Fairfax store has a café with free wi-fi, organic juice bar, salad bar, hot foods bar, pizza station, sandwich counter, and packaged meals-on-the-go.

A few months before that store opened, Earth Fare held a local vendor fair, where company officials interviewed dozens of local artisans and growers. Several local products were selected for the store, including DC Brau Brewing Company, Moorenko’s Ice Cream, and Oat My Goodness Granola. A community advisory board, made up of local health and wellness experts, residents, and community leaders, contributed ideas on how the Fairfax store could meet the needs of local shoppers.