New Seasons Market doesn't quite fulfill my fantasy, but it's closer than anything else in town. Former Nature's managers, unhappy with the new owners' emphasis on the bottom line, started New Seasons with some help from Nature's founder Stan Amy. But making it easier to sip a latte while perusing the baked goods isn't the only thing that sets this store apart. New Seasons wants to sell you groceries, but it also wants to change the world. That means developing relationships with suppliers who practice sustainable agriculture, like the Douglas County ranchers raising lambs without growth hormones or orchardists growing organic apples in Hood River.
Local ownership is another piece of the mission.
That doorway opens into a bright store that looks a lot like a traditional mid-sized supermarket, but with a little more energy. I found a few of my own more obscure favorite brands, like the extra-sharp cheddar from the Bandon Creamery south of Coos Bay and imported Rustichella di Abruzzi pasta. It's made from just semolina and water, pressed through brass dies for a better texture and slowly air-dried instead of baked in an industrial kiln. A deli is standard issue for a grocery store these days, and the one here is run by Ron Paul alum Eric Rose and former Heathman sous chef Andrew Norby. The offerings include whole chickens roasted on the rotisserie, grilled tombo tuna and meatloaf.