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A spirit that is not afraid

Students react to Earth Fare’s closing

Earth Fare, across from the Auburn Mall, is to be closing soon. Photo was taken on Feb. 11, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.
Earth Fare, across from the Auburn Mall, is to be closing soon. Photo was taken on Feb. 11, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.

Auburn’s short relationship with the organic supermarket Earth Fare is coming to a sudden end, as the company began its liquidation process last week.

The company confirmed that they were closing all of their locations with an announcement on Feb. 3, 2020. 

With the loss of this market, some are wondering where shoppers, especially students, who seek organic options will turn to in order to find what they’ve lost.

Alejandra Sanchez is a senior at Auburn University and the president of the vegan interest club Plant Based Plainsman. She was a regular shopper at Earth Fare. She said she went every Tuesday because the company offered a discount to students that day. 

“I liked that everything that was there that could have been locally sourced, was,” Sanchez said. “It was the easiest way to support the local economy, farmers and food producers. The workers at Earth Fare were by far the most helpful when it came to helping out a vegan customer.” 

Sanchez feels that there is not an immediate replacement for what Earth Fare provided to the community. She said other stores that offer vegan options do not contribute as much as Earth Fare did to local farmers and sustainability. 

Other students who have looked for similar organic options said they felt the same way about the loss of Earth Fare. 

Amanda Wenzel, senior in natural resources, was a frequent shopper at Earth Fare. She said she agrees that there is not a similar market in Auburn for students seeking organic and sustainable options. 

“I probably visited Earth Fare once a week to buy all of my groceries,” Wenzel said. “It offers more for the environment than any other grocery store, and I like how it strove to limit its plastic use in [its] packaging and bagging of [its] items.”

Part of the issue for Wenzel is the fact that the store has no clear successor.

“There’s nothing similar to Earth Fare in town,” Wenzel said. “When I first came to Auburn, there was a grocery store called Daysprings Natural, but it has since closed.” 

Wenzel also said she does not believe many students will care about this sudden closure of Earth Fare. 

“I think that college students are more likely to choose where they shop based on location,” Wenzel said. “Specifically, how close it is to them, and also the store’s affordability creates a difficult market for these more expensive and sustainable organic stores.”

While some Earth Fare shoppers feel the impact of this loss, other students feel most of the supermarket’s goods can be found elsewhere.

Evan Boykin, senior in political science, shopped at Earth Fare for brands that the store exclusively had, such as shampoos and skin care items.

“I went to Earth Fare once in a while,” Boykin said. “There is this particular brand that was exclusive to Earth Fare only, and I would buy those products. I really enjoyed not having to order those products online.” 

Boykin said he’ll have to adjust his shopping habits following the closure.

“I won’t be able to buy certain hair and skin products from Earth Fare-exclusive lines now, but I guess I will just have to order them online or stock up when I go back home.” 

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Although Boykin enjoyed these certain products, he typically shopped at other stores.

“They did have a great range of organic foods that I really liked, but other stores here in Auburn do provide great options as well,” Boykin said. “I didn’t do much of my grocery shopping at Earth Fare. I mainly shopped at Publix, which offers great organic products.”  

Boykin said he will miss some parts of the store, like its rotisserie chicken and giant cookies.

The organic supermarket is expected to have its doors fully closed by the end of February. Until then, the store is hosting various sales.


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