Neighborhood Produce — Local services in Somerville

Great produce as well as a decent variety of grocery staples combined with good customer service. If you want fresh topnotch produce with an array of local options, shop here. The prices are about midrange, but considering the high quality of the produce, the fruits and veggies are a bargain. However, communication about store hours is a serious concern. The store elected to close for a few days over Columbus Day weekend (which I entirely support). This was confirmed by seeing a sign indicating that when I tried to shop there Columbus Day. After that happened, I suggested that they improve communication by posting a sign on the store at least a week in advance of the holiday hours so that customers who don't walk by the store more than once per week would know in advance and could accordingly plan their shopping. Despite me giving that feedback, they failed to make changes and in fact their communication became even worse. I checked their website this morning to confirm the store was open today. The website said it was, but when I got to the store, I saw the shades in front of the windows and not a sign of a soul in the store. In addition to that, the sign said regular hours (that they were open today) and no mention was made of closing today. Troubled by the lack of communication, I called the Medford St location to inquire. I got a line busy sign on my phone. I called the Ball Square location and got a dated voicemail message (line said they were closed for construction in August). Finally, I went on the website and Facebook page. The Facebook page had conflicting hours compared to the hours listed on their website. I finally found their store hours on their Instagram page. These hours seemed correct, as a recent post indicated they are closed 12/25-1/4. In closing, this is a great store, but communication concerns are the only thing keeping me from giving a...

I should mention that I’ve only been to the location in Ball Square, but I still had to list the reasons I love this place:

-Most of the items in the store don’t come in plastic! They have paper bags and reusable containers for bulk items, or you can bring your own and have them weighed -The staff is friendly and helpful -They have an assortment of items and I can find most of what I need there - also, some items that I can’t find other places, like unsweetened coconut! (Please, PLEASE keep stocking that, I live off this stuff now 😫) OH and the teas. The looseleaf tea is wonderful. The Lapsang Souchong is my favorite -Not only do they have food, but they have bulk shampoo/conditioner/soap as well. I supplement the conditioner with a richer product every few rinses, but the stuff they stock is a good staple -The produce is quality - the highlights from this last year have been bright poppable cranberries, snappy green beans, crunchy apples, and (depending on season) leeks the size of my arm! Usually decent prices, too, though you should always double check -And they’ve been selling eggs at cost in all this madness. AT COST! Bless them

In short I try to give them my money over other stores whenever I can. 10/10...

I have always loved this place, but their solution for shopping during the pandemic makes me want to do all my grocery shopping there. I went in on Tuesday around noon. They will only allow 1 customer in the store at a time so I waited a minute or so for the customer before me to pay. When I went in, they had me wait at a counter and I read my shopping list and they grabbed my items for me. It only took about 5-10 minutes. When I was done, they helped me carry my bags to the car. I was very impressed with their speed and efficiency and their attempt to minimize the spread of CoVID. ...