neighbours

When we moved first moved here, there was a health-food store called Alternatives right up the street. It used to have another location in Oakville, which had just gone out of business, and our local Port Credit location was clearly struggling.

By November, their shelves were almost bare, and there were drastic reductions on anything that was left. The owner said they had bought by a Canadian health-food store chain, and the new store would be opening by February.

Since that time, the store has been vacant and shuttered. There were only two other stores in that little strip, and one was a cafe that went out of business, too. The family-owned meat market, which features organically-raised, pesticide-free products, was all by itself, and I wondered how it would survive. Garbage occasionally piled up in the parking lot. It was starting to look a little grim. It stayed that way for a good six months.

Then a new restaurant moved in where the cafe had been, a nice, pub-type place. A good sign.

And now, finally, the wraps have come off of the big store window. There's a big sign out front: "Coming Soon, Planet Organic".

It sounds like they're a health-food store chain based in Western Canada. This will be their first store in Ontario.

This could be really good news for Port Credit and Mississauga, and the folks at the organic meat market must be thrilled. It certainly has the potential to keep me away from Whole Foods in Oakville. (More about my Whole Foods obsession here.)

So, Planet Organic. Anyone know them?