New Leaf Community Markets is slated to open its new store in the Gateway Plaza on River Street in Santa Cruz on Sept. 27.
The company closed its downtown Santa Cruz store on the corner of Pacific and Soquel avenues last October after nearly 30 years in that location, citing a need for more space. The closure came in preparation for the new, larger store, which the company says will be similar to its upgraded Capitola store, which opened in November.
While the Pacific Avenue location was just 9,000 square feet, the new spot is 29,000 square feet. That’s more space for more prepared food offerings, including a self-serve poke bar, a larger produce section, an expanded selection of coffee and other made-to-order beverages, and a bigger meat and seafood department. It also includes a beauty and wellness department, and an expanded scope of locally made products.
To celebrate the store’s opening, New Leaf will offer samples, activities for kids and chances to win New Leaf gift cards from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The River Street location brings the company’s total number of locations back up to six, joining the Westside, Capitola, Aptos, Half Moon Bay and San Jose. The first New Leaf store opened on the Westside in 1985, and moved to its current Fair Avenue location in 2009.
Oregon-based New Seasons Market purchased New Leaf stores in 2013, and that company was purchased in 2019 by Good Food Holdings, a subsidiary of a global South Korean retailer called Emart, which is Korea’s oldest and largest discount store chain. Good Food Holdings also owns California-based Lazy Acres Natural Markets and Bristol Farms, and Metropolitan Market in Washington.
National retailer Anthropologie is slated to take over New Leaf’s former location in the old Bank of Italy building sometime next year.
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