The Local Market
This place, Olivia’s Market, is my new favorite little store in my neighborhood. They have a little bit of everything and it is so neat and tidy. I could walk the same distance and be at a Jewel, but I would rather go here and support a local business. Okay, I know Jewel is technically a local business but it feels so big-box-chain-store to me. Olivia’s Market carries a lot of organic food, not so much local stuff as far as I can tell, but most of their products are quality things. They have a tiny deli and freezer section, a little table stocked with fruits and vegetables, maybe 10 rows of grocery items. Every time I go there I find something new: like the little wall of Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products or the Nice Cream in their freezer. They also have a small bulk food section. Honestly, they carry almost every product that I buy on a regular basis. Their prices are a bit higher than Stanley’s and Trader Joe’s, where I’ve been doing my regular grocery shopping. I don’t know that I’m to switch to do all my shopping here, but I’m pretty certain it is the place I will walk to when I’m out of milk or some other necessity.
That’s right: walk. I love that my neighborhood is so walkable and I need to start taking advantage of it. I strongly believe in neighborhoods where all the resources you need to live are within walking distance. We need more neighborhoods like this in Chicago: where people can get fresh produce just as easily as potato chips, where people can walk to a cafe and enjoy time with friends without having to burn more fuel and cause more traffic by driving, where people can get to know their neighbors as they walk to the library or clothing store or (in my case) yarn store. So there’s my soapbox for the day, I guess. It will be harder in the winter, but for now I’m making a commitment to walk or take the bus to as many places as I can and Olivia’s Market is one that I will be frequenting often.
