‘We thought we’d splurge’: Rock Hill’s Earth Fare reopens
When Dave and Sally Brown emerged from the newly reopened Earth Fare in Rock Hill, they had a bag filled “exotic” foods they were excited to taste.
Dave Brown opened his National Audubon Society shopping bag and showed off his purchases: nutritional yeast, fig and pecan crackers, smoked salmon, pine nuts and cashews.
“These are very exotic things for us, but we thought we’d splurge,” Sally Brown said.
The Earth Fare grocery store in Rock Hill reopened Wednesday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony just before opening the doors at 8 a.m. Dozens of shoppers and employees clapped before entering. A date for reopening the Fort Mill store has not been decided.
The Asheville grocer, which sells natural and organic foods and products, filed for bankruptcy protection in February and closed all its stores, according to reports in The Charlotte Observer. The grocery store chain cited financial difficulties as the reason for closing. Hulsing Enterprises now owns the store. The Rock Hill location is the eighth store to reopen.
Dave Brown said the couple had looked forward to returning.
“Earth Fare is a particular resource that is hard to find, the organic foods they have, their philosophy to trying to keep chemicals and other kind of products out of our food,” Sally Brown said. “I know the other grocery stores, they do try, but it’s nice to have it all in one place and I just like coming here.”
Rock Hill’s CeCe Bucy went to Earth Fare Wednesday to pick up items for dinner.
“I shopped occasionally at Earth Fare before they closed and then realized after they closed that I missed it,” Bucy said.
Alex Greenwood and Kyle Binnaol visited the store to take advantage of a $5 sushi special.
“We’re excited to see how it’s doing and to get back here,” Greenwood said.
Binnaol strolled into the parking lot holding his spicy roll sushi around lunchtime.
“I just figured, why not?” he said.
Earth Fare is at 725 Cherry Road, Suite 110, Rock Hill. Store hours are 8-9 a.m. daily.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 4:20 PM.
