The Wall Street Journal went shopping in Denver to see whether Whole Foods lives up to its nickname "Whole Paycheck Foods." Whole Foods was, indeed, the priciest, followed by Sprouts, and the most affordable? Good old King Soopers.


Sprouts - which just opened on Colfax & Madison - has the right model: the just-right blend of healthy prepared foods, gorgeous produce, and snack food that doesn't make you feel like your kids are mainlining sugar. Gone are the claustrophobic aisles of processed food bookended with cheap, sugary snacks; the real food is the center of the store at Sprouts. You leave feeling like you bought healthy, whole foods (and some "natural" branded snack foods) and didn't break the bank.

When will a grocery store like this open in Stapleton? (The Stapletonion* has a great article on this... and before you get all riled up, The Stapletonion is a satirical site. It's not real news. Just saying, cause people get mad at me when I put up their stories and fool them.)

Well. A persistent, motivated group of our neighbors has been working hard to make that happen. They reached out to all the major players, and the minor ones too, and even explored the possibility of creating a natural foods co-op.

True to the nature of our community, a few loud voices can get the wheels turning, and the RUMOR is that Forest City is in serious talks with a potential grocer.

Who is it? Rumor has it: King Soopers will be building a grocery store in the Eastbridge Town Center.

I asked Tom Gleason of Forest City, and he would neither confirm nor deny it, but we know they have a contract that gives them the first rights if another grocer were to come along and want to build there. Tom acknowledged Forest City has been in talks with several grocers, but won't announce anything until its iron-clad.

As The Stapletonion* points out,  the store in Eastbridge could not be a full size grocery store (there just isn't enough square feet for a big store, much less the parking) but King Soopers has a new concept, "Fresh Fare" that is smaller and caters to quick meal solutions, with fresh produce from local growers and prepared, ready-to-eat food.

Maybe that's what they have in mind for Eastbridge?

If the rumors are true, what would you like to see?



*The Stapletonion is satire. It's not real news. Please don't be fooled.