By Katrina Lewis
Cool Spring Organics Market is expected to close by the end of December after 15 years in Lexington.
Owner Selena Anderson announced her decision to close in a recent post on the store’s Facebook page.
“As many of you know, [my husband] Brad was the driving force behind Cool Spring,” Anderson wrote. “We both loved the store and this wonderful community. But his energy is sorely missed and I feel it is time to move on.”
Many shoppers commented on Anderson’s Facebook post to thank her for the store’s service to the natural foods community over the years.
Anderson said in a phone conversation that Cool Spring will close in about two weeks, but that the store will be in full operation until then with 10 percent off of all purchases. The store is known for fresh produce, bakery breads, to-go foods, coffee and environmentally friendly house supplies.
Cool Spring first opened at a small location at the south end of Lexington but closed in September 2010 when its lease ended. Anderson and her husband Brad Eisold reopened their store at a larger location on state Route 11 North in late 2011.
With Cool Spring closing, Anderson said local foodies will be looking for an alternative.
“It’s wide open,” Anderson said about the natural foods industry in Lexington. “Somebody should definitely come in and open a store that sells these kind of products.”
Lexington’s other natural foods store, Healthy Foods Co-op, closed its market in February 2016 and reopened as a restaurant named Blue Phoenix. Blue Phoenix managers Damon and Amenie Hopkins said it was difficult for Healthy Foods to compete at the local level because of larger grocery stores like Kroger and Wal-Mart.
“We can’t compete when Wal-Mart can sell for less than we can buy,” Amenie Hopkins said.
“I’d be excited to see a small organic grocer open and succeed but the odds are stacked against them,” Damon Hopkins said. “Our core community is great but it isn’t enough.”
According to Cool Spring’s Facebook page, the store will be reducing its hours for the last two weeks of business. It will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on Sunday.
Anderson said she did not know the future plans for the retail space.