Ridley's Family Markets — Local services in Ely

Better than I expected for a small town grocery that is off the beaten path. No organic fresh produce, which was no surprise. They had organic dried mangoes and prunes hidden off to the left side of the produce section with the jarred garlic and bags of pistachios. They had organic blueberries and mixed berries in the frozen section. They had a few healthy non-dairy substitutes like So Delicious Coconut yogurt, including unsweetened. The only non-dairy cheese was American style slices of Daiya (yuck). No goat cheese. They had a good gluten free bread/crackers/dough/oatmeal selection--look in both shelf stable and frozen. I found Simple Mills Veggie Flour Pita Crackers and Elizabeth's granola. I didn't look closely at the non-dairy milk because I had stocked up on flax milk at Sprouts, but I am pretty sure they had the standard soy, almond, and rice milk. The fresh seafood section had exactly zero fresh seafood, but somehow right next to that section, there was sushi (which I did not purchase). The deli was standard small town deli fare--fried chicken, potato salad, soda, and the like. They had a small health section in the front near what looked like an out-of-commission pharmacy. I found a few protein bars I like. Like many small town grocery stores, they had household, automotive, flowers, and a few gift items covered. I like that it is...

WARNING: I have lived for 30+years in MT and WY small towns with a population less than 8k. Ely has 4200 people,maybe.. I am sympathetic to the tribulation of small town grocery stores.

We shopped at the Ely store at 630pm 7/27 . Much of the stores stocks were as depleted as a grocery store in the hours before being struck by a huge Cat V Hurricane. There weren't any 1 gal jug water for sale.All the "bakery" rolls and loaf breads we looked at were at or beyond their "pull-dates looked at . The grocery section looked like a ghetto or Rez location. No cherry tomatoes in late July? Dismal beer selection at unfair prices. Every beer was approx $10 per six pack. Choices were limited to Bud,Bud Lite,Coors, Coors Lite,and Busch beer. Who routinely pays $27 for a 24 pack of Budweiser? The staff (which seemed short for a late Friday afternoon) were quite friendly and helpful,esp for visitors about store card discounts. I'd shop there again sure. Nowhere else...

We have been to several Ridley's in other areas, so we were happy to see that Ely had a Ridley's. What a disappointment! The 1st time we were in the store, the shelves were nearly bare and many items were a within a day or two of expiration. The produce section had the saddest fruits and veggies I've seen in a long time. The only organic produce sold is the packaged lettuce/spinach. Our next visit was better as it looked as if they stocked the shelves. However, produce was still limited to conventional and some of the items were turning bad. Just a couple of produce items pictured but you get the idea.

Ridley's is the only market in town and we still have another week in Ely. Be forewarned: bring food with you. I am so sorry that the residents have no...