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Williams Bay store offers organic, specialty foods

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Travis Morales, co-manager of Green Grocer of Williams Bay, organizes the shelves.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Karen Krolow of Williams Bay selects some sugar free dried mangoes from the bulk containers at Green Grocer, a new organic food store in Williams Bay.

WILLIAMS BAY — A new boutique grocery store offers Walworth County residents and visitors a variety of locally grown, organic and specialty foods.

Green Grocer, 24 W. Geneva St., carries fresh seasonal produce, grass-fed meats, organic yogurt, gluten-free cereal, fair-trade coffee and handcrafted beer and wine.

The store, which opened in mid-October, offers regular wine and beer tastings and other classes all designed to introduce people to new foods, pique their curiosity and inspire them to experiment.

Co-owners Dawn Marie Jacobs and Jennifer Veith envisioned a store that would not only fit their personal style of living but also cater to the changing needs of the community.

“This is the way I like to shop, to eat, to live, and in order to do this, I have to jump in the car and drive 40 miles in any direction,” Jacobs said. “And after listening to (people) talk about their dietary and health needs and where they have to shop, it became clearer and clearer we needed to have a place like this.”

Co-managers Travis Morales and Kari Storm said lots of area residents have stopped by to see the new store, and many already have adopted it as their regular grocery store.

“The community has been telling us how much the area needs a place like this,” Morales said. “And now so many people are coming back on a weekly basis because this is their new place to shop.”

Jacobs said the store opened at a good time: More people are concerned about what they’re eating—where it comes from and how it is made—and more and more people are aware of the impact their lives have on the world around them.

“So many people are just looking for other choices,” she said.

The store not only carries a variety of locally produced and organic foods, it also offers dozens of items for people with food allergies and other dietary issues, as well as several eco-friendly products.

“If someone can’t find what they’re looking for here, we can special order it and have it sent here for them,” she said.

Jacobs and Veith, also co-owners of Clear Waters Salon & Day Spa next door to the grocery store, believe their businesses will work hand-in-hand: Spa guests might take time to peruse the shelves of the store between treatments, and store customers might stop by the spa to make an appointment.

“It’s a nice fit for both businesses to have them here,” Jacobs said. “They’ll help each other out.”

Jacobs and Veith so far feel like they made the right decision to create the kind of store that up until now was found only in Milwaukee or Madison. The women believe it’s better in their backyard.

“This is so much larger than I ever could have imagined,” Jacobs said.

TO LEARN MORE

The Green Grocer, 24 W. Geneva St., Williams Bay, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information about the store, go to www.greengrocergenevalake.com, search for “Green Grocer” on Facebook or call (262) 245-9077.