East Lansing resident Kathleen Millow shops at The Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, 930 Trowbridge Road for the first time May 30, 2015. Millow said she still misses Goodrich's Shop-Rite and was sad to see them go after over 30 years of business but East Lansing was in desperate need of this new store with prepared foods and fairly affordable prices. Asha Johnson/The State News.
If you live around 940 Trowbridge Road, you may have noticed a bold red barn has recently replaced what used to be Goodrich’s Shop-Rite.
That barn happens to be Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, a new grocery store aiming to have 10+ locations around Michigan soon.
Store director Robert Lajcaj said the store offers whole and organic foods at low prices.
“We’re very big in all healthy foods,” he said. “Whether it be gluten-free products, organic products (or) natural products, everything with limited ingredients that’s natural and healthy for your body.”
Lajcaj said what sets Fresh Thyme apart from others is the grocery store feel. He said most whole food stores center around produce, whereas Fresh Thyme offers a variety of different groceries.
Criminal justice graduate student Michelle Malkin said she first heard about Fresh Thyme on Facebook. She said she happened to drive by the store one day, decided to check it out and has been a fan ever since.
Malkin said the store is perfect for her because she’s been trying to make healthier choices regarding food.
Also, she recently discovered she’s gluten intolerant, and she said the store offers plenty of options that work for her diet.
“Making those choices at a traditional grocery store is kind of difficult sometimes,” she said. “It’s really helped because (Fresh Thyme) marks all over the store what products are without gluten.”
Lansing resident Andrew Rathbun shares Malkin’s sentiments.
He said he was first drawn to the store because he tries to eat healthy, high-quality foods.
“I personally like food that doesn’t look like a science experiment when I look at the ingredients,” he said.
Rathbun said he had never been to a grocery store like Fresh Thyme prior to his first visit, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.
He left the store with his expectations exceeded, particularly regarding their deli. He said both the deli and the pizza are exceptional and he highly recommends them.
For Rathbun, Fresh Thyme is a step up from Goodrich’s. Contrary to general community opinion, he said he wasn’t a huge fan of the store.
“I didn’t have any personal attachment to Goodrich’s,” he said. “I’m not originally from this area, but I think what’s there now will serve the community better than what Goodrich’s was able to do.”
Lajcaj said that’s the goal of Fresh Thyme — not necessarily to one-up Goodrich’s — which he said he thought was a great store, but rather to simply serve the community.
“We’re having a great run in East Lansing,” he said. “We’re doing a phenomenal thing and we’re very happy to be a part of the community.”
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