The Fresh Market

Don’t ask the meet department to make you some patties like their sign suggested. The guy in the two hoop ear rings or whatever make two holes in his ear: he’ll will give you the dirty look and start slamming things. I’m not kidding, the manger witnessed the whole thing and apologized. The manger also provided the patties for free and a gift card, one extra star for that.

As you sit in the eating area, in or outside, you will be serenaded with quite loud classical music. It is an interesting spin on music for a grocery store. It is a nice atmosphere inside and that’s what you’re paying when you come here. They pride themselves on local food, yet their shelves are lined with products I would find at any grocery store. Expect to pay 50 cents more for each item than normal. I guess if you live here you’ve probably got enough money to where that doesn’t matter anyway.

What a civilized and elegant shopping experience in a cozy environment. The music sets the tone for a relaxed stroll through the aisles. I watch for favorites to go on sale, and appreciate the variety particularly in waters and bakery. Usually you can find a nice assortment of organic fruits and vegetables, and some terrific seasonal sales. My shopping list includes a regular stop at The Fresh Market.

I really like this store because it seems that everything they sell is fresh and/​or delicious. They have only high-​end items, but I have found them to be worth the money. The layout of the store is extremely convenient. I have not tried the meat, but am looking forward to it. Employees are very friendly.

I love going to Fresh Market because it is a beautiful store and you just feel good when you are there. However, unless something is on sale, most things are too pricey unless you have money to throw away. When it opened, I went at least once a week, but once the new wore off, I find myself rarely going. Mainly because of the prices.

The only store that could give Whole Foods the nickname, «Payless»
So, yeah, you can’t afford it. But when things are on special they’re a great deal. Oyster mushroom farm for $ 13 is unbeatable. I’m harvesting them now. You’ve already read about the Tuesday specials. Sprouts has a larger, more practical and cheaper bulk section. But the frosting on the cookies and cream cupcake is AHHHH-​Mazing! One fingertip full of that and my sweet tooth is satisfied! Nothing at WF comes close. So whenever I go to REI or otherwise in the ‘hood I stop here, too. And I love calling this part of OP, «the hood».

I LOVE coming here! It is pricey but I tend to only stick to fresh produce, bulk goods and fresh flower bunches. You can easily buy the canned, frozen stuff for way cheaper anywhere else.
My favorite thing about this grocer is that it’s so peaceful! I’m so easily stressed out when grocery shopping because I almost always have no clue what I’m doing. I’m not a «cook», I CAN cook but when it comes to planning meals in my head I suck and I most definitely never plan before hand. So I’m usually winging it at the store which is why it’s so nice that they play classical music instead of über loud crap because someone, somewhere said loud music makes you spend more money. Screw that! I avoid stores, restaurants that adopt those standards. And, as a violinist, I’m more prone to appreciate the fine arts anyway. You also won’t find a bunch of whiny, bratty, unleashed kids running around you in circles in this store.
I tend to end up here on weekend mornings after barre classes to pick up flowers and it’s almost therapeutic.

Ok, message received. Apparently you’re only allowed to love fresh market if you’re loaded. Really?
True, the price point is higher than your local Hy-​Vee. But then again, I wouldn’t eat anything that comes from the «meat» counter at Hy-​Vee either. Hen House? I’ll get into that later. And fresh market is actually less expensive than Whole Foods, even for organic items.
The service at fresh market is beyond anything I’ve ever seen at any other grocer in Johnson county. Period.
SMALL EXAMPLE… I can recall a time at hen house on 135^th, dragging the STORE MANAGER to show him how every head of garlic on the display was sprouted and infected with black mold. His response? A shoulder shrug and, «I guess that’s just how they are.» Nice dude. Nice.
Coincidentally, shopping at fresh market and I noticed that there was some of the black mold forming on a few heads of the few remaining heads of garlic (I like garlic, can you tell??). I asked a random kid about it, and the look on his face was like I pointed out a dead rat. He apologized up and down and grabbed the entire basket, ran into the back, and reappeared with a whole new container of fresh, beautiful produce. He said he threw away the old one and said it would never happen again. (Where am I? The nexus of the universe? Does customer service like this actually exist around here?)
I’ve never once run into an instance where FM has run out of anything. If the shelf was low, they would re-​stock and have plenty of reserves. Their meat (which is competitively price to HH and cheaper than whole foods) is second to none and the prepared foods and seafood are delicious and always fresh.
I just hope that the «Johnson county masses» who have become so hypnotized by bad customer service appreciate what GOOD customer service actually is, and reward FM with their business. I have.

Wow, what a fancy store. The beautiful dark wood is contrasted by the brightly colored produce. It lured me in to explore. Unfortunately the price matched the
Why go to the Fresh Market instead of another grocery store… good question. They do have a great prepared section of prepared food, a salad bar, olive bar, and even seafood bar. Their pre made sandwiches, sushi, and entrees looked delectable.
This might be a nice place to grab lunch during the week. They even have tables there with a fireplace. However the café area is NOT heated, so I’d only dine here once it’s warmer.
The service was really just so-​so. I never saw anyone walking around to answer questions. Even the gals behind the pre made counter were too busy chatting to notice me snooping around.
Really, this store doesn’t really offer any more variety or different products than Whole Foods or Sprouts. Plus their prices are pretty high. I walked around doing a mental comparison of what I buy, pretty much ever item was either the same price or higher.
I really can’t see myself going here often. Maybe they’ll add some competition to the market that might drive prices down overall… one can only hope.

I never knew grocery shopping could be so fun! This place is probably the neatest, cleanest market I’ve ever been to. Granted it’s new, but still!
I came in here expecting it to be a high-​priced, snooty atmosphere where people look at me wondering why in the world I’M shopping there (like I feel sometimes shopping at Whole Foods). Totally didn’t get that vibe here! I stopped in on a Tuesday around 1pm and there were only about 5 other people in the whole store. I hate crowds, so this immediately made me happy :)
I wasn’t planning on buying much. Boy was I wrong. They had a sale on bagged salads, 2 for $ 3. They weren’t huge bags, but still a pretty good deal. They also had discounts on trail mix and dried vegetables. I also got some fruit, vegetables and some of their fresh sushi for lunch. Not the best sushi I’ve ever had, but probably the best I’ve had from a grocery store.
What I was most impressed with was their bread/​bakery section. I have a weakness for bread, pastries, cakes, pies, etc. and this is going to cause some trouble in my life. Their selection is insane. They have pretzel croissants for goodness sake! Luckily it’s the new year and I’ve been pretty strict with my diet, so I didn’t give into the temptation. This time.
Overall, the staff was friendly (although not one person asked if I needed help), the place was well organized and make sure you look for the specials (they’ll have signs in the store and online as well). This place can be pricey, but you just have to be smart about what you get. And it’s okay to splurge once in a while too!

I can very well see how someone with a six figure income would give this place 5 stars. It’s boutique grocery shopping. All the high end luxury brands and a few of the normal ones which are marked higher to maintain the stores prestige I guess? You’ll find most of the imported goods elsewhere for a better price… but this is obviously not a shop catering to squeamish wallets.
What it is:
–beautiful
–very clean and organized
–high end items across the board, from the cheese case to the bakery to the dry and canned goods. Only the best.
–way too pricey for me to wander through again.

Beautiful store! Helpful employees! Great looking produce! Fabulous-​looking prepared foods!
If I earned about 50% more money than I do, I’d probably make the trek out to this store fairly often, but for now, it’s more of a curiosity to me than anything. We did buy a couple of small bags of groceries while we were there and spent about 80 bucks. They were kind enough to give me a sample of coffee to take home to try which was a nice touch. We bought some of their store-​made sushi and it was edible, but not great. My hubby fell for a beautiful-​looking peach pie that he brought home and fawned over before discovering that it didn’t taste as good as it looked. There were some items we would have picked up while there if they weren’t literally 1 – 2 dollars more than the same brand/​same product at Natural Grocers.
I’ll probably check them out every now and again for the heck of it, but it’s unlikely they’ll become a priority grocery shopping destination for me.

I guess I don’t get this store. My kids don’t eat dyes or preservatives due to health reasons. I buy quite a bit of stuff at Whole Foods (some trader joes) and farmer’s markets because it’s «safe» (no dyes or preservatives). Sure, I pay through the nose for it at WF. I don’t regularly frequent Hyvee but their «health» section is sectioned off.
I just popped in here and was surprised to see Cheerios next to organic cereal. Halloween Peeps and Reese’s Pieces next to natural candy. Hiland milk next to organic milk – you get it. Is this store afraid to specialize in health food or what? Heck, they probably sell Doritos – now that’s «fresh».

The Fresh Market is the best single destination for groceries in the city. No, you can’t get your Mr. Clean Magic Erasers here or cheap bulk toilet paper, but if you want food, this is the place to go.
I have always been somewhat offended by Whole Foods’ obnoxious catering to clueless «organic food» shoppers, most of whom are three organic Oreo cookies away from a heart attack and do not understand that just because a food is organic that it isn’t necessarily good for you. But I always did like Whole Foods upmarket approach to customer service and premium prepared foods. Now that we have The Fresh Market, there is no longer any reason to bother with Whole Foods.
Big winners for me:
I highly recommend The Fresh Market’s very own branded ice creams. Their Mocha Almond Fudge is absolutely to die for.
Their fresh-​cooked pies are also delicious. We picked up a cherry pie that had FRESH and TART cherries inside an excellent crust.

Fun grocery shopping! Sunday morning was a fantastic time to drop by and see the new fun grocery store giving Whole Foods and Trader Joes some competition. A few outstanding places to chevk out: the fish market, bakery, baking aisle and the bottled water aisle. Best place to spend the $ 60 you never thought you would spend on a Sunday morning.

This place is certainly nice! Like really, really nice. And the only place I’d rather visit than Fresh Market is the parallel universe (or gated community) in which the people who can afford to make this their regular grocery spot reside.
This is the type of market that has fruits you’ve never heard of. Not because they’re only popular in the Far East, but rather because they are hybrids that are invented for self-​described «foodies,» the kind that like to name-​drop foods the gods had never imagined.
This is the type of market that sells artisan kitty litter.
To be fair, if I COULD afford to shop here regularly, I totally would. The meat case looked picture perfect, and their prepared food section looked absolutely delicious. I’m sure I’d just love small-​batch granolas and enjoy the salad dressings of the bourgeoisie. Their artful displays of fresh baked bread? Enough to make me weep.
I like this store and all. We just have completely different worldviews. I’d be down for a random fling, but the two of us are never going to have a lasting relationship based on truth.

A smaller version of other successful health food stores around the metro. This location at 135^th and Nall has quickly risen up my list of places to visit when I’m farther out south than I normally go. The Fresh Market is a one stop shop for all of your organic and health food needs. Their prepared foods are outstanding, especially their fried chicken and rotisserie chickens. The 8 dollar fried chicken bucket sells out fast but is replenished throughout the day.
Staff are very friendly and ready to help. Be aware, there are no «cart corrals» in the parking lot so don’t be surprised when an employee offers to walk you to your car and help with your groceries.
I’ll continue to patronize TFM and other health food stores. This one, however, definitely has some bonus points over some of the other ones.

The first time I came, I thought eh it’s ok. So I went back and I thought, yeah! I can used to this. It’s nice and clean, and so far fresh… Yep I said fresh, you know some grocery stores don’t abide by the freshness rule, blegh. The salad bar is small but clean and very good. They carry items you might not find at the regular Hy-​Vee or price chopper.
It is a little pricey on some items, but the quality seems to be good.
The only thing I don’t like is the long wait at the cash register, I think molasses might ooze faster than them.
Remember, it’s a market, not a full out grocery store. (At least in my opinion)

Generally I deplore going to a business when they first open because they are packed with employees and customers, but I had motivation to check out Fresh Market and after just touring the fresh food sections and dairy I have to say, I wish we had a Fresh Market in Olathe.
I did not think that prices were that much higher if higher at all on most items. This is not only comparing to similar stores, but also your average grocery store. I noted prices on things you can almost always count on finding in my fridge, milk, zucchini, lemons, and mushrooms. You could get milk for $ 3.79 a gallon, organic zucchini for $ 2.49 a pound (this is what a lot of stores charge for non-​organic zucchini), $ 2.99 for an 8 ounce package of mushrooms, and organic lemons were $.99 each.
They had many taste tables set up. I tried the in house sushi which was pretty decent for a grocery store sushi and it is made with products sold there. They were also cooking blue cheese steak burgers outside. The steak is ground daily and quite yummy. The burger was well done (to avoid any potential issues) and did not have any seasoning to highlight the taste of the actual meat and it was pretty darn delicious. Of course I would season mine and cook it less which would only make it better.
Many of the employees either smiled at me, said hi, offered to assist me, or a combination of the three unless they were assisting another customer. Very friendly and personable.
When you first walk in the store you are surrounded by the floral department. They had beautiful orchids for $ 20 (I was almost disappointed I wasn’t in trouble with a significant other, because the orchids would have resolved any stupid thing I had done!) There was also a small selection of candles. The beauty of the flowers and smell of both the flowers and candles just gives you a zenish feeling to start your exploring through the store.
Some other highlights, a huge nut selection including fresh, in store made peanut butter. A huge fresh snack section. A fantastic deli with a lot of non-​typical deli options along with some well above average looking staples that you find in any store. I was loving the deli section. A good variety of fruits and veggies that looked very good. A nice meat selection that included many yummy looking selections that were all prepared and ready to go. (I.E. steak burgers with different cheeses blended in.)
The store is smaller than some of the other similar type stores, but the size isn’t lost in fresh selections, your prepackages section isn’t very large and I am quite ok with that. Swing by and check them out, and give them a review. I think most people seeking a store with a good selection of healthy, fresh options will be pleased.
They have only been open a couple of days and were already making an impact with a JDRF fund raiser.

This afternoon I went to check out the new Fresh Market that opened in the still-​a-​building Prairie Fire complex on the south side of 135^th Street, between Metcalf and Nall.
It’s a bit difficult to be sure exactly what niche The Fresh Market is trying to fill. It’s kind of a blend of Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Dean & DeLuca. There are lots of natural and organic brands and selections, but the store isn’t exclusively a «health» food emporium. There are also selections of more deluxe brands and «artisan» producers of things like soft drinks. Many of the canned/​bottled goods sections are relatively small, so the selection can be rather limited, although that’s not always a bad thing. (You don’t end up dithering over 40 brands of canned tuna, for example!) The place is pricey, but probably worth it for some of the harder to find items they carry. The bakery looks excellent and I spotted at least one bargain: a number of pretty elegant loaf-​style fancy cakes for cutting into slices, for only $ 5.99 for the entire cake! There’s also a nice selection of breads.
The deli section is good, and there’s a pretty extensive cheese section, although the offerings mostly aren’t on the adventurous side. The house-​made take and bake pizzas looked really good, especially the Margherita with big slabs of fresh mozzarella on it! The meat counter is extensive and has a good selection, including lamb and veal (for the politically incorrect). The guys working that counter seem knowledgeable, or will get you an answer if they don’t happen to know it. Ditto for the fish counter.
Vegetables look gorgeous and there’s a big selection. Green goods mostly seem to be organic, fruits seem to be about half-​and-​half organic and conventional, but it all looks great. There’s a moderate sized bulk food section and lots of candies sold in bulk.
One pleasantly surprising feature is that, befitting a store that comes from the South, there’s a pretty good selection of foods and brands indigenous to the region that you don’t see much (or ever) in Kansas City, like Café du Monde beignet mix, or White Lily flour (a favorite of Deep Southern bakers), or tubs of pimento cheese at the deli! I forgot to look for stone-​ground grits, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they have them. And if they don’t, I bet they can order them! Deep South expats will like this store and enjoy exploring what it has!
All in all, The Fresh Market is a nice addition to our choices for upscale grocery shopping. Some competition for Whole Foods is certainly welcome! Things will undoubtedly shake out and the offerings will vary down the road as the managers figure out what’s in demand locally. But I do hope they keep the Southern stuff — there are enough transplants from that part of the country in the metro area to provide a market for brands and products familiar from «back home.» It’ll also be interesting to see what the impact of the new Sprouts market will be – it should be opening soon a couple of blocks to the west in the adjoining Corbin Park shopping center. But once both are open we won’t be prisoners of Whole Foods any more! There are going to be LOTS of choices, at least if you’re willing to shlep out to JoCo to shop! With luck all of these stores will begin to expand to other parts of the metro area. All the people in Kansas City who are interested in healthier eating don’t live in JoCo!