Lennie’s Whole Foods

They’re NEVER open even during store hours. Literally every time I go they’re closed.

A little over priced, but great selection.

For such a tiny store, they have an abundance of all kinds of products, generic and a bit more esoteric. In contrast, on the flip side of the coin, Lennie’s is certainly has one of the –RUDEST STAFF– I’ve ever seen in retail. The woman who runs the store, I believe her name is Carol hires from what I’ve seen, women exclusively and most definitely, these women’s periods have synced years ago! I’ve been literally yelled at for being «too impatient», I’ve seen other fellow customers told to «can you wait, I’m on the phone». I’ve also asked questions with one of the sales staff, only to receive an audible SIGH of impatience because they’ve had to get from behind the desk and help you find a product. So, location = great, product selection = very good and customer service = wants to make you shop elsewhere which I’ve seen many people do, as in leave the store due to the utter rudeness of the staff. A real shame; this place could be a gold mind if they took some customer service courses.

Lennies is great! The staff are knowledgeable and helpful and they have a great selection of products — everything from spices and supplements to fair trade coffee and chocolate to packaged foods with various designations — local, organic, and/​or gluten free, etc. The atmosphere is also nice. Many stores like this tend to be overwhelmingly cluttered, and while Lennie’s is not lacking in selection, it’s organized, clean and easy to navigate.
The only reason this gets 4 stars instead of 5 is the pricing. It’s not exorbitant, but it’s not as cheap as some of the alternatives in Kensington Market.
I live close to Lennies and so I shop there often, but I will venture over to Kensignton every so often to stock up on certain things at far better prices. For example, a can of wild, BPA-​free canned tuna is $ 2 less at Tutti Frutti.

I came out here with a friend of mine in search of a juicer. She settled on the Omega 8006 (which is the one I would have picked, if I were in the market for a juicer). the staff was super helpful, and there was a good selection of organics and organic snacks!

Here is my review of Lennie’s:
The only reason I’ve given this store a 2 star rating is because of the LACK of customer service. Granted, they have a decent selection of products at generally good prices, I’ll give the store that. On the flip-​side, the store has terrible customer service. One of the few women who work there make it seem that you are intruding, ie. I’ve, no exaggeration, waited in line for 5 – 10 minutes with my products at the desk as a staff blatantly and very obviously talks away on the phone with a personal call IN FRONT OF YOU. I’ve also asked for products they may have in the store and only to get a general, indifferent finger «point in that direction». I’ve had a woman staff member literally, audibly «sigh» when asking a question, as I interrupt them. The manager/​owner of the store needs to re-​enforce the concept of politeness, customer service and 100% to their clients, their core customers who I’ve talked to and who now also tend to shop elsewhere.
They tend to make seem like your business is more of an annoyance if anything. I’ve had a number of terrible customer service issues that have turned me off the store and that’s really unfortunate when it is such a fixable issue.
My equal and opposite reaction is to now simply find products elsewhere, which is generally not a problem in the area at all. Unfortunately, the 2 star rating is based on the customer service issue. I’d gladly give them higher if their staff were a bit more polite and accommodating to their customers. I think except for a staple 2 employees, I’ve noticed they have a rather high turn-​over staff that I noticed and that doesn’t inspire confidence because when a new staff member DOES come on, you develop a rapport with them, and they are not long gone soon after.
I’ve moved on elsewhere, and pricing elsewhere is pretty much compatible. Again, not a bad selection of products, quite good actually, pricing is good to average; location is very handy and pretty good hours. But management and staff need to work very hard on manners and attentive, polite service to their customers.

I have been shopping there for years and must have spent a few thousand bucks on all sorts of products. I go there because it is in my neighborhood. The prices are a bit high but the convenience makes it worth it. My only criticism is the lack of customer service. Now, don’t get me wrong. These ladies seem pleasant enough but never, not even once have I been treated like a valuable customer. They are a bit indifferent and not as friendly as I have seen them with others. For example, if I ask where a certain item is to be found they will point and say something like «it is down there». Not even a C level of customer service if you ask me. The turning point was being charged the bogus Toronto bag tax of 5 cents for a tiny used bag. As everyone knows this is a false tax where the vendor pockets the money. Which is why it will be repealed later this year. This particular day I had spent about $ 200.00 and they still insisted on charging me the 5 cents. Even though I asked them if they could forgo the charge. For me it would have been a sign of respect and appreciation. Well that will certainly not happen there, at least not any time soon. Frankly I go there because when I am in Toronto it is the only place close enough to get to with out using my car and that is it.

I was wonderfully surprised by this seemingly small Cabbagetown health food store. I arrived on the hunt for chickpea flour and was overwhelmed by the amount of selection.
If you are gluten or soy intolerant and need any sort of replacement flour, they’re sure to have it here — I counted about twenty different types of flour, including tapioca, teff, potato, rye, quinoa, soy, amaranth, buckwheat, barley, arrowroot, white/​brown rice, kamut, sorghum and spelt.
They also had a huge wall of Bob’s Red Mill products, looseleaf and prepackaged teas, exotic and organic oils (edible and cosmetic), spices and thickening agents along with the typical weirdo herbs and supplements that confound the majority of us.
Staff was very friendly and helpful, not to mention knowledgeable. I rattled off a list of items that would sound like madeup words to most people, and they instantly knew if they stocked it and exactly where it was on the shelf. I’ll be back to stock up on bulk items at cheaper prices than The Big Carrot.

This little store boasts a great selection of organics, incense, and more. From the outside it looks a little run down, but once inside you’ll find a hidden gem. I originally came here for their selection of Lara Bars that I couldn’t find at other stores, but now I pop in for the odd other thing here and there.

lennies is like a smaller version of the big carrot. it is much smaller mind you, but it has staff thats very informative — not necessarily too cheery — i was dealing with a pregnant lady who seemed mildly bothered by everything, but hey she was pregnant so…
i spent some time talking to them about the differences between health bars — the quick energy bars you get, etc. about soaps, moisturizers and shampoos that i could use at the y for after swimming and they showed me a few different options and seemed to know about each one.
they have bottles for bikers, grains and seeds and grains and seeds for cereal lovers? lots of organic spices and bulk items reside on their shelves and lots of products youd never know about at your local grocer — including healthier chips — even down to the bags they come in.
it seems to be in a perfect spot in the neighbourhood, right at carlton and parliament, a major thoroughfare, which makes it really convenient for a stopover while on the carlton streetcar.