MORRIS SUN TRIBUNE
Page 12B - Saturday, July 21, 2012
Morris, Minnesota 56267
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~ Fe a t u r i n g a d i f f e r e n t b u s i n e s s eve r y we e k ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meadowland Market evolves to discount grocery store The new Meadowland Market is a bit old-fashioned. Like general stores of old, shoppers who visit Meadowland Market can find a little bit of everything – food, toys, produce, home décor, meats and cheeses and party supplies. Since the store first came to the Morris area, owners Trevor and Jody Schmidgall have helped Meadowland Market evolve from a simple “bent and dent” store to a thriving discount grocery store that focuses on overstock items and locally sourced goods like produce, meats and cheeses. Meadowland Market still works with vendors to sell items that have been pulled from larger grocery stores. With each shipment, the team of around 15 employees – plus family and friend volunteers – sorts out products that are too badly damaged or too outdated to sell, then moves the rest to the store floor. “Everything you get has been checked over before it goes out on the shelf,” said Jody. “I'm not going to sell something that I wouldn't eat or feed my family.” However, the store has also expanded into selling more overstock items – products that are still good, but may have been removed from other stores because of a label change or surplus purchase. These overstock items can be sold at a deep discount in stores like Meadowland Market. In May, Meadowland Market moved from their first location in Morris to a much bigger space on the corner of 6th Street and Pacific Avenue. The new space has allowed Trevor and Jody to expand their offerings and meet customer requests for more products like milk and everyday produce items. Meadowland Market now offers a number of locally sourced products including beef from Wulf's, pork from Outback Five, cheese from Riverview Dairy, milk from Stoneycreek Dairy, kidney and black beans from Bonanza Beans, and honey from Braaten Honeybees. The new location has also provided the opportunity to begin offering everyday produce staples through a vendor from the Twin Cities and locally grown items from gardeners in the area. Recently, Meadowland Market has been bringing in boxes of fruit directly from orchards – blueberries and two types of cherries this week. A vendor in the Twin Cities will also be supplying Elberta peaches later this month. “Our buyer will go directly to the orchard to get the cherries and the blueberries, then brings them to us,” said Jody. “They don't go through the processing plants where they wash the fruit – the minute you start washing fruit or vegetables, it starts breaking down the product.” This winter, Trevor and Jody hope to add a vendor for locally-grown popcorn and expand their toy department during the holidays. The store also includes a section of party supplies – everything from plates and napkins to balloons and pinatas. “We're always looking for something new,” said Jody. “If there's somebody around the area that sells something that is packaged for retail, we'll try it at our store – it's nice to support the local areas if we can.”
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If you are interested in participating in our next showcase, please call Linda Cook or Cheryl Busch at 320-589-2525.