Harding's Market — Attraction in Portage

So I was strolling through Harding's with the most amazing woman. I mean, truly, you have no idea. We made our way through the deli and the baked goods area, which momentarily diverted my gaze from this gift of the gods. Those were some really good looking muffins, ya know?

Then we walked through the meat section, jostling each other and giggling like teenagers. It's amazing to be in love again so late in life, so even choosing hamburger together was a tiny little adventure. I suggested the bigger package, so we could split it up into a couple meals. We chuckled about bigger packages. We held hands.

"Do you want some Coke?" I asked, knowing how much she likes a sip after she gets up. We already know each other so well, so I knew she'd be glad I remembered her mornings.

We forgot a few things, no doubt distracted by the stars in our eyes, the butterflies in our tummies, and had to circle back around. Back to the produce section for some onion and tomato to put on our burgers. My girl is a freakin' Jedi Grill Master, on top of all the other things she excels at.

She's proud too, so she didn't want me to pay. But come on now, I'm at her house almost every night, devouring her luscious cooking while I devour her with my eyes. I'd do just about anything for her, and her for me. It's hard to believe something like this happened. It's like magic, and so our trip to Harding's was just another magical journey.

Harding's, man. Bring the girl you love, and maybe even grocery shopping will be a moment you...

I love this local, home town store. I've been shopping at one Hardings or another since I moved to Kzoo (depending on what side of town I was living). Yes, the prices are a little higher (I took off 1 star only for this reason) but they tend to stock some harder to find items (Mrs. Grass soup, the chop suey vegetables that don't have the disgusting little corn in them, molasses, etc.) & they are nowhere near as crowded as Walmart/Meijer. I believe they also give some people who are having a hard time employment when many other employers won't take a chance on them. Nice, lovely, local store! Also the baggers will take the groceries to your car for free (although tips are appreciated) if you need which is especially handy if you have heavy items & have a hard time lifting things or are disabled. Also if you bring your water jugs back they have refills on them for about 39 cents! The original jug will cost you about $1.50-$2.00 but the refill price makes this worth it. They also sell money orders for cheaper than the gas stations @ $1 each up to $500.

Edited to add: Hands down the best meat out of all of the grocery stores around here. I only buy my hamburger at Hardings! Reasonable prices on meat for the...

Harding's: occasional knockout sales (the buy 2 get 3 free deals are wild!) and the donuts from the bakery are among the best you'll ever have--did you know they're only 79 cents? And some of those donuts are approximately the size of a human head...for 79 cents. Chocolate frosted cinnamon rolls peppered with chopped peanuts, yeasty twists, old fashioned cake, and more.

But everyone who's anyone knows that the heart of Harding's is the staff. Harding's oddball assortment of characters deliver a bit of old fashioned, where-everybody-knows-your-name friendliness (or affectionate gruffness) in a world full of hyper markets in which you seldom meet the same two clerks twice. This is the place where some of the loneliest folks in town come to experience their daily modicum of human kindness, a place in which the checkout clerks actually take time to look their customers in the face and deliver a genuine warm welcome. You walk into this place, and what do you see? More often than not, you see smiles. You hear laughter. And that's what makes this place...