Foody's bulk food store in Pickering

[sweetie]

Hey Chows
I just checked out a "bulk" food store close to my house. It is so much more then bulk food though. They had all kinds of dried fruit, good selection of spices. There is also a machine where you can grind your own peanut butter. They had ready made, almond butter, pumpkin seed butter (??), cashew butter. Also sumatra coffee beans for $11.95/lb (is this good?), and green coffee beans you can roast. I know I sound like a commercial, but I want this place to do well, so i have a place to buy baking supplies and dried fruit and stuff. Apparently there is already a Foody's in Barrie, but as I have never been to Barrie, I never heard of it before. Oh, just in case you want to know where it is, Kingston Rd at Rougemount.

[BamiaWruz]

I'm going to check that out, never seen it or heard of it.. love bulk stores and that sounds close (I'm always between Ajax, pickering and downtown)

Thanks!

[jayt90]

I gave Foody's a once over but didn't buy. Sumatra beans at $12/lb is OK, would be better with a cupping test. I checked out the green beans, but passed, at $31/kg. Again no cupping, a pet peeve of mine in GTA coffee stores. Many bulk items seem comparable to Bulk Barn, just slightly more upscale.

[jayt90]

I went back to Foody's today and easily dropped $20 on spicy things. They definitely have items that are not found in Bulk Barn, but prices can scale upward. I was impressed by the on site coffee roaster ($12/lb and up). There is a wide selection of salt, and I even bought Margaret River flaked salt at $150/kg. (Should have got that $8 box of Maldon at Highland Farms last year!).
I found the sumac,($40/kg), a really intense flavour, (wonder if it is like our own sumach?) and a good variety of teas. All of these are a fine addition to the area, if not exactly as cheap as Bulk Barn.

[Dr Butcher]

jayt90, I picked up some salts the other day, Sel Gris, Alaea Hawiian Salt and some Fleur de Sel.

I pick up sumac at Arz Bakery, it seems reasonable but I haven't compared prices to Foody's

I browsed over their salt and spice selection for 15 minutes alone, I mean, hot cross bun spice? Whoda thunkit?

[jayt90]

Here is a place link

[TexSquared]

We went once as well (it's close to us too), they have a lot of items Bulk Barn doesn't carry. However, for items that both stores carry, you'll find BB beats the newcomer in price. Unless they can at least match BB prices on more items I can't see them surviving at this location for more than a year, being a bit out of the way (whereas BB is at the main entrance of the Loblaws Pickering Market building). BB has them beat in price and location.

If you haven't been to the area in awhile, Foody's occupies the former New Style Buffet location (possibly the worst buffet in the GTA... maybe not, that title goes to Honey Garlic in Ajax... go figure, both are out of business...)

[sweetie]

I guess I was pleased by the large selection of sugar free items (both my parents are diabetic). I suppose the proximity to my house is a huge draw for me as well. I hope they stick around longer then a year.

[TexSquared]

Just a quick heads-up for those who haven't been there yet. Their grand opening specials end on Friday and the best deal of all is white sugar for 19 cents a pound (limit 10 pounds per customer).

If you have the flyer (I think they had some lying around in there) there's a coupon for coffee, buy 1 pound get 1 pound free, and for their homemade granola, buy 1 pound get 1/2 a pound free.

Last time we were there Pickering Bulk Barn was charging more for sugar than the Loblaws they share the building with, so much for bulk prices!

[jayt90]

I went in for 2 lb coffee tonight, and the service and selection was very good. Total price $14 for two different types, fair traded and organic; and it was weighed after roasting to order. (A further 20% saving). Each pound takes about 7-8 minutes to roast, and you can specify temperatures from 420 F to 435 F.
The roaster vents into the roof, and there is no smoke or smell.

As Tex says, Friday is the last day of the sale. The staff says it has been successful, so I expect they will have more promotions, but this one is very worthwhile.

[Dr Butcher]

Thanks for the reports! I drove past this location a couple of times today, I'll check it out soon. I'm always up for supporting the little guy!

[BamiaWruz]

I just came back from Foody's! It's amazing, I liked how tidy it was and bought some tomato sauce and spinach gnocci .. they got these cute jars and some filled with soup items, very cute. Their spices are nice, a bit more variety than bulk barn and they look fresh.
The bags they pack the stuff in when you're done are SO Cute! I would definitely support them.
http://flickr.com/photos/adventuressh...

[TexSquared]

The bags BW is referring to -- instead of those thin "Loblaws produce section" style bags and twist ties that BB uses, Foody's uses ZipLoc bags. Much more convenient.

[sweetie]

Actually I think he is refering to the paper bags that they pack you purchases in. There is only one handle going across the top of the bag, connected to both sides.

[BamiaWruz]

They're both great, and both have their labels printed on them, I don't know how much it costs to make and offer this sort of thing at one's shop but it's a nice touch.
And the zip part keeps all the bags tidy unlike the bulk store bags which all need to be knotted and look so messy.
My SO surprised me with some cajn hot dry mango slices and they were so addictive. As soon as we got in we split up, him occupying all the candy and sweet areas and I go straight for nuts, grains, spices and gourmet oils, olives..etc.
One thing I noticed that they got is Sumac, other bulk stores hardly carry it unless it's a middle eastern shop, so thats' a nice touch too.
I wanna go back there!!!!! *hehe*

[TexSquared]

Wanted to mention that the bags you and I described (the Ziplocs for the goods and the paper bags with handles at the checkout) are no more. They've switched to the cheap "produce section" style plastic bags with twist-ties for the items, and plain bags for the checkout (my wife brought in a Trader Joe's reusable bag to use)....

They still had the paper "Foody's" bags with the wire tops (look like airsickness bags from commercial airliners!) at the biscotti and rice areas. For those who have never been, unlike Bulk Barn these guys do remove the tare weight depending on what kind of bag you use -- 5 grams for plastic bags, 24 grams for the paper bags.

If you see someone in there during this final liquidation with a Trader Joes bag it's probably me....

[CeeQueue]

Thanks for mentioning about the bag weight. I found plastic bags for all of my needs (small snack-size ziplocks and a box of tear-off plastic bags) at the back on top of the counter opposite the dried fruit. They were running pretty low, though.

They had no bags left at the checkout when we were there; I had brought my own and got another from my car for my mother.

[BamiaWruz]

I just wanted to post a sort of warning about the tomato sauce they seem to sell and make themselves, I opened mine today and there was a lot of mold on the lid inside, it hadn't been opened before and looking at the label and everywhere I couldn't find a best before date or anything.

I'm definitely going to take it up with them tomorrow if I can drop by, but either way it's just a warning and I wonder if any others found this issue. I was so looking forward to eating it and had already boiled my spaghetti and was even tempted to still use the sauce but ended up throwing away what I put in the bowl already and then I'll take the bottle back.

[TexSquared]

Sad to say that I was right that they wouldn't last, as I really liked this place. Foody's gourmet bulk food store in Pickering is closing in a week. Everything is 50% off right now for those who want to stock up on sea salt, dried fruit, almond butter, organic flour, etc :-)

I just got back -- they still had their "Boxing Day 25%" sign but when you approach the place, there were photocopied "Everything 50% off" notes taped to the window. Not totally picked over yet but better go now. While roaming the store with my wife I wondered if any of the other shoppers were fellow hounds... I saw one guy filling his shopping cart with overfull bags of loose tea, he might as well have taken the stock buckets as I think he emptied most of them out!

[CeeQueue]

This is a shame. I thought perhaps being next to Bruno's would help them bring in the right type of shopper who would pay a little more for upscale items, but I guess it was not to be. Maybe people blew their budgets at Bruno's.

Thanks for the head's up on the close-out sale.

[TexSquared]

Bruno's and the organic produce place next door could tap you out in a hurry, which is why we didn't shop there much. Losing Reid's Dairy (bankrupt) really cut the traffic down in that plaza.

Foody's was never busy the few times I'd been there so I knew they were in trouble from the start, just couldn't generate a following and there was not enough walk-up traffic. They might have done better had they taken over the former Bulk Barn location at the Loblaws, after BB moved around the corner to that other plaza with the Pizza Hut.

Hated being the bearer of bad news but the good thing is you know to stock up at 1/2 price. They didn't even bother to advertise this sale (either their 25% "Boxing Day" sale or this liquidation). I might stop by later this week and pick up what's left of the sea salts and nut butters.

If/when you go please post what's still left.... Today (Tuesday), the shelves at the back left corner already empty. Spices are low, sea salts and peppercorns are mostly there with some empties - if you liked smoked salt there's plenty of that left. Dry pasta, dried fruits, nuts, rice, flour, biscotti, and the candy wall on the right are still well stocked; I suspect you'll soon see those candies at the Pickering Flea Markets....

Roasted coffee beans are low, green coffee still stocked well (so if you roast your own, here's a good buy). Loose-leaf tea is badly diminished (after that one guy hoarded it all!)

[jayt90]

Too bad, I only shopped there two or three times, and the products, experience was good. Location and circumstance killed them. Bruno's a pricey rip off, Reid's Dairy gone, I'd say that the plaza is in trouble or due for new ethnic sellers, not Foodies. I'll be looking at the green coffee beans, but even $14/lb after 50% discount is hard to take.

[TexSquared]

Since you're obviously also in Durham and took the words right out of my mouth calling Bruno's a "pricey rip off", I wanted to ask what you think of Halenda's which seems to be quite popular over in Whitby and Oshawa. I've never been, but some of my co-workers who live that way recommend them.

Worth it for me to drive over there from Pickering? Or are they just a Bruno's clone and I should stick with Costco and cross-border? So far the only reason I can think of to visit them is that they also carry Buster Rhino's stuff (and are open longer hours than Buster is)

[jayt90]

I haven't been there but heard a good report on the original location (Osh?)

Better reports from the same source on Alan's, and especially, Buckinghams Meats.

I tend to go westward for weekend shopping: Diana's, Soon Lee for pork and some beef, plus T&T. I'd like to try Buckingham's for something special.

[Dr Butcher]

Not wanting to drag the thread too far off topic... Halenda's is quite good if you're looking for regular cuts, nothing too exotic there. Some nice sausages and their kielbassa is excellent. Their website is pretty well maintained and has their weekly specials.

http://halendasmeats.com/

I thought Allan's was very overpriced when I went, most of the meats looked good but you definitely pay for it.

Buckingham Meats, I wasn't a fan of their marinated chicken breasts but the meat counter looked impressive. I've only been the one time and have wanted to go back.

http://www.buckinghammeats.ca/

[CeeQueue]

I went there with my mom this afternoon. She does a lot of baking, so it was perfect for her and for my sweet tooth (not that I needed all the candy and chocolate I bought).

There is still a lot in the spice/herb bins, though a few of the fancy salts are empty as well as the odd spice. They have lots of dried fruits, candied fruits and flavoured nuts left. Lots of stuff like gravy and cheese sauce mixes, etc. They're all out of white sugar, except for coarse grind. There are a few tubs of ground nut butters. There's tons of candy and chocolate left. If you go, don't miss the dark chocolate almond bark bars on a shelf just before the checkout. Two large, thick bars in one package for -- IIRC -- $2.00 after the 50% discount.

We also bought non-stick omelet pans that they have on a table near the entrance. $7.50 after taxes for Italian made, triple-coated pans. They seem to be heavier and of better quality than the cheapo ones at Crappy Tire.

Mum spent over $50 and I spent $32 (after discount).

I'd never been there before and now am sorry I didn't discover it. They carry some interesting and unusual items that can be hard to find. Sad to see it close.

[stv]

"Two large, thick bars in one package for -- IIRC -- $2.00 after the 50% discount."

When I was there this afternoon, they were marked $2.99 on the whiteboard.

[CeeQueue]

Thanks for the correction...my memory doesn't work very well when I eat too much sugar, lol. I was thinking it had been $2.99 (so $1.50 after discount), but that just seemed impossibly low. I'm pretty sure I paid about $5 for a single bar at a chocolate place on Queen St last summer.

[stv]

I am pretty sure you did paid $5 on Queen st, either east or west.

[CeeQueue]

Yeah, it was somewhere near The Tulip, so Queen East.

[BamiaWruz]

Ohhh no, I'm so sad now!!

[stv]

OMG.

Where else am I going to get the dietabetic chocolate for my Mom!?!

[BamiaWruz]

I'm heading out right now, you should go and get as much as you can.

This just ruined our day!!! Wonder why they're closing.

[TexSquared]

Again sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I was surprised nobody else here posted it first so I had to....

They're closing because they didn't survive. It was never busy and their prices were too high. That and you just can't see a gourmet store surviving in Durham where places like No Frills, Price Chopper, Food Basics, and Bulk Barn rule, with Loblaws and Costco taking the "high end" market.... wrong concept for the neighborhood.

But as I said, I'm not happy either as I liked to shop there, but it was more of a special treat for me because of those high prices. Same opinion I have of Bruno's and Tiano's in the same plaza.

To STV, I know the chocolates/candy area (including sugar-free) is still very well stocked as of last night so go now and yo should be able to get as much as you need to last awhile.

[BamiaWruz]

I just got back and am so sad. We cried all the way home.
They said the barrie store is closing too. The 50% off wasn't worth them closing, I would have honestly paid more than the regular prices just to keep them open and we were regulars.

So unfair!! You're right about the area though, Durham doesn't have too much demand for the high end scene.

Stuff looks stocked but they told me that they're making it look good to the last minute, I'm so proud of them! We took our camera and took pictures outside and of the stuff we bought. We're keeping our bill to remind us of our favourite bulk store in the whole world.
Going there was such a fun experience, it was an activity in itself.

Quite a bit of spices and teas, I'd rush over though because the staff were saying it will get picked over.
Lots of candy, it looked pretty much the same as it usually does to me (except no detergent and some things were moved around a bit) Some items were out all together. Go and see what you find!

[TexSquared]

My goodness... they start a gourmet bulk food chain and their first locations are in BARRIE and PICKERING? And they picked a totally dead plaza in Pickering too (I wonder how bad an area they picked in Barrie)! Almost like they wanted to fail....

Don't know why they'd bother with "making it look good to the last minute", what's the point, they gotta sell it all, might as well have it out there. With empty shelves at the back, empty bins all over the place, and those "Everything 50% Off" photocopies taped to the glass front, it DOESN'T look good. It looks like out-of-business, which they are. When we saw that on arrival yesterday we already knew what was going on. Didn't even bother asking until we were checking out. Only thing missing would be the loud fluorescent orange "LIQUIDATION" signs when a store goes bankrupt and the creditors take over the place....

[jayt90]

One thing that would help smaller strip malls is beer and wine in the C-stores., but maybe I'm dreaming.

[TexSquared]

OK, some more details to help everybody out, especially BW!

The Barrie store closed down for good yesterday and all the leftover stock from that store will be consolidated at the Pickering location on Saturday afternoon. So you might want to make a return visit Saturday evening or on Sunday to see if there's anything you missed that they still had in Barrie. They're open 9-6 Saturday and 10-5 Sunday. Lady who's finished on Sunday said the store will still be open beyond then as far as she knows. Bringing in stuff from Barrie should give them maybe another week.

[BamiaWruz]

I was there today and there were lots of things! Picked up a bit more stuff. About two or three families shopping there in the evening at the same time .

Good to hear about more stuff coming in, though unless they stay open longer they won't sell everything they've got.

Some recent pics!! Not too detailed as I didn't want to disturb anyone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventur...

[TexSquared]

Thanks for the photos! I did ask the checkout people (the older woman and the younger man) if they noticed anybody taking pictures...

Yeah, there's no way they'll sell everything off unless they stay open another week and drastically reduce prices. The candy bins and dry pastas are still quite full (as seen in your photos) but spices are definitely running low.

I'm sure there are flea market/dollar store vendors waiting for the final drop to 80% off when they can swoop in and take all the candies that are left....

We might go Saturday night before closing to see what came in from Barrie and then decide what's worth coming back for if/when they do the final drop. We've bought enough stuff already!

[BamiaWruz]

You're right, the place is still very full. Only some spices and salts looked gone, compared to wednesday morning (9AM) when I went in. Actually they've even filled up some spice bins, and the stock boxes under the bins looked empty (not that I peeked but they looked like they've been shifted around or something)
I wanted some wild rice but that was gone on wed morning!

Lots of pasta left, some sauce, I got another red pepper jar. Will go and check it out then on sunday if I get the chance!

[TexSquared]

I dropped in this evening before closing (around 5:30) and found out they didn't bring in the stuff from Barrie yet. Checkout guy said the truck for that purpose left for Barrie that afternoon.

Given that the two staffers I always see there are finished on Sunday (and they doubt the place stays open past then), seems strange they'd bother to ship everything down overnight for a one-day sale (on a short day too, 10-5). As has been repeated here, not like they've made any effort to advertise the sale so it's the same people every day (like us!). I know I recognized more of the same faces tonight.

At any rate I might not be able to check in on Sunday afternoon, maybe I'm wrong and they'll go a few more days with management running it since there's still an awful amount of candy they need to get rid of.

[BamiaWruz]

Oh thanks for reporting this. I was going to go tonight but the hours are always so short so I wasn't sure how long they were open until.

Do you know what time they open on sundays? We might go on monday afternoon if they're still open just to see what's new.

[TexSquared]

It was in the post above, 10 AM - 5 PM on Sunday. Like I said it seems like wasted labour and fuel to drive a truckload from Barrie just for a 7 hour sale assuming they shut down for good after that. If they bring the stuff down the place has to stay open past Sunday.

[jayt90]

I'm still waiting for the green coffee beans to reach $10/kg. Even at half of $31/kg they are not competitive.
I picked up herbs, spices and canned goods today.

[TexSquared]

I've been waiting on the coffee too. Surely if they're consolidating everything here they'll HAVE to drop down to 75% off at some point, which is the price you want :-) If/when that happens I'm sure BW or myself will be on top of it...

[TexSquared]

They're not done yet.

I stopped by today to find them closed but they put new signs on the front window giving new hours (off the top of my head, closed Monday, open Tuesday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday-Friday 10-7, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4... correct me if I'm wrong on these) and another sign that read "New! Foody's Warehouse Outlet! Check back every week for new items!"

So they must have a lot of stuff in Barrie and/or their warehouse to get rid of and will be open for awhile longer. I'm predicting end of the month (lease would end then I'd assume, and Jan. 31 conveniently falls on a Sunday).

Looking through the windows I didn't recognize anything new that hadn't been there last week. Maybe only 5 of the Italian omelette pans left if you want one. Still totally full bins of candy....

Since my wife and I have pretty much stocked up on everything we'd need from there, we have no plans to visit again until the signs show 70% or better.

[CeeQueue]

When I was there last Wednesday, there were only about 4 omelet pans left at the front, but when I was back again on Friday there were at least a dozen or more...so I suspect they are bringing out stock a bit at a time on those.

Interesting that the sign said "New" warehouse outlet. I noticed that none of the 50% off signs in the window said anything about them closing, and no other signage to indicate a "going out of business" situation. I wonder if this has been a bit of a stunt to increase traffic and get the place better known? Has anyone heard anything for sure that they're closing?

[TexSquared]

I get your point, but as of Sunday they did lay off the two checkout staffers we usually saw, and the owner of the flower shop/convenience store two doors to the right was checking out the place one night and talked about taking the space over so he could expand his business, and jokingly asked if they could leave him the coffee roaster and the nut butter machine....

If they're staging this to get traffic in, they've done a poor job advertising it. No mention in the local papers. Hadn't seen an ad since their opening specials. If anything we on this board have been doing all their ads for them :-) Maybe need to schedule a ChowMeet on closing day!!

[CeeQueue]

In all honesty, I'm kind of hoping they do stay open in a reinvented way as a warehouse outlet, with more reasonable prices. That said, I will probably not pay a return visit before they close, since I've stocked up on pretty much everything I need.

[TexSquared]

I dropped in after work today (around 4:45PM) to see what, if anything, was brought in from Barrie. Essentially nothing. Might have topped off some of the candy (like that was needed!) and the coffee but that was it. Spices/salts area was a lot emptier than last week so that wasn't replenished. Only 2 omelette pans left.

And they didn't have many customers either; one was paying and leaving just as I arrived, and no one else showed up while I was in there. The new guy working there said the store is closing but when asked when that would be, he said he didn't know, adding "after we sell everything". At those prices they won't sell much, as, like you said, their regulars have all come in and stocked up.

[stv]

Just came back, emptied the sugar sub. white choc almond and other stuff.

The bill $52.xx

Quite happy and sad at the same time

STV = Steve/ Stephen

[BamiaWruz]

My last purchases, $279 value at 50% off. I may go back if I get the chance.

[TexSquared]

Went today around 4PM. Quite a few people shopping there stocking up as we were. They cordoned off the back left corner of the store which was already empty, but left access to the left wall where they still had all their pastas and pasta sauces.

Bought more of the specialty salts and the assorted peppercorns as those were getting low. Surprisingly they were still roasting coffee to order, saw one guy having his green coffee roasted. Nice smell through the store as that was going on.

Most of the stuff I reported as in stock Tuesday was still there, especially the candies (they must have a surplus of those; I just can't see them selling all of it fast enough).

Checkout lady (who was the only one working there) said her last day is Sunday so that's a good hint as to when it's gone for good. Poor woman worked the entire day as the evening guy didn't show up. She told us the pralines they sold were her recipe and homemade. I remember they were a lot better than the ones sold at Bulk Barn....

Apparently the convenience store/flower shop two doors to the right will be moving into the space.

[BamiaWruz]

I'm just curious, many members here have said they find foody's expensive. Can you give examples of what it is you're buying because we've always found them to be just fine, better quality, clean and reasonable.

[jayt90]

I found the spices, and dry herbs to be well priced, and a better selection than BB.
Beans, grains etc better at BB, and more selection.
What really got me was the coffee beans: a wonderful roaster, but one price for all and very high at $31/kg. No real expertise, no discount for green beans, and up against competition such as Greenbeanery, where green beans are $10/kg and fresh roasted beans $15-$20/kg.

[TexSquared]

Foody's is expensive when compared to the competition, which means Bulk Barn. They have items that BB doesn't carry, which is what set them apart, but head to head if the same item is in both stores you'll pay less for it at BB (before the liquidation sale, I mean).

And that was one of many faux pas which put them out of business. They needed to create a buzz, have at least one permanent loss-leader to rely on to get people in. Bulk Barn's permanent loss leader has to be those chocolate covered almonds they have "on sale" EVERY WEEK in the newspaper. All they do is undercut the kids selling them at $2 a box for their fundraisers. For that same $2 you could buy maybe 3 times more from BB. I go to Foody's and they're selling choc-almonds, pitching them as "organic", at $6 a box (so, $3 after the discount!) Any sane shopper that sees that will be driving over to BB and never coming back. During a downturn, you'll be hard pressed to convince people to pay triple for something just because it's "organic".

The cheap white sugar promo Foody's did their first few weeks was perfect for this (I know I mentioned it in this same thread when it was on). They had this HUGE box of sugar out in the open across from the coffees/teas and next to the candy. Who could walk over there and not be tempted by the candy and the coffee, two clearly high-markup items? If they kept that promo going forever (like BB and the choc-almonds) they might not be doing this liquidation today. They'd take a loss on the sugar but those customers would start grabbing this and that and.... Just like those people walking into Bulk Barn to grab "some of those choc almonds" and come out with all sorts of stuff they hadn't planned on....

Again I'm sad to see them go but they made some huge errors in judgement. I feel sorry for those 2 friendly staffers who served us last week and lost their jobs as of Sunday. They didn't deserve this.

[zzzng]

I'm the guy who cleaned out the tea :) Actually, the only one I cleaned out completely was the Monk's Blend. I liked the store for their tea selection and some other hard to get items, but most things were expensive - and because the store wasn't very busy, you had to make sure they weren't stale. It was a nice, bright store though and I liked going there.

[BamiaWruz]

Personally I never found anything stale, and on top of that my experience with BB has always been bad, just last month I bought blanched almonds and there were dead moths in there that had spun their web all over the almonds, I realized this while decorating a cake before putting it in the oven so had to take them all off. I found little meal bugs in my granola and lots of weevils in the wheats (and we're not talking bird seed even though they're always in there) bugs in the dog/cat food as well. It's disgusting, and I'm so turned off by them which is why I guess foody's was a lovely go to bulk store for me.

I don't buy coffee so I never bothered to compare prices. Not sure about the teas even though they always seem expensive everywhere so I buy a little bit here and there to try as a treat.

It is sad to see them go. Thanks for sharing.

[TexSquared]

This should be my final update on this place. I drove by today (after they closed at 3PM), new signs up front announcing 75% off everything, and their last day is Saturday April 3. From what I could see through the window, there isn't much left. I may drop in today (Thursday) to see what's left; I suspect it'll just be the candies nobody wanted at 50% off...

[jayt90]

I went into the store today and bought Italian canned goods and Blue Mountain coffee. The J.B.M. was $20/ lb green and I took the last one. They still have Kona, at approx. $15/lb and they will roast on site.
Lots of spices, herbs, candies, chocolate, grains and beans.
Open until spring as is, according to a new person on cash.
Just guessing, but they may intend to drop Barrie and keep this location, and put pressure on the landlord to adjust things.

[CeeQueue]

Maybe all the business this thread has driven in has given them new hope about the location? It would be nice if they stayed on, but the true test will be if they bring in any new stock of things they're out of now, such as sugar, cinnamon, etc.

[TexSquared]

Just a bit of an update here. I drove by today (didn't go in), looks like nothing's changed. Same signage out front, and the inside looks much as it did a week ago -- candies still fully stocked, other stuff, not so much. And not many customers anymore either.

[TexSquared]

Paid them a visit for the first time in a month to see how they're doing. Signs on the front say "all fixtures for sale, inquire within" but they haven't budged on that 50% off everything level (so on principle I bought nothing as I've explained above).

Badly picked over, they have the back corner totally blocked off now (so you can't go past where the spices end on the left wall, and can't go past where the sugar used to be on the back wall -- whole area behind the coffee roaster "island" is out of bounds). Very few coffees left, but the tea jars are still pretty full (so "zzzng" above can come back later and get more!) I'd say the candy bins are on average 1/2 full (when they were still all topped off last time).

Cashew/almond/sunflower seed butter all gone. Spices almost all gone save for maybe black pepper, allspice, ground cinnamon.... of the gourmet salts all they had left were New Zealand organic sea salt and the fume de sel.

What was interesting was, up at the front they now have sort of a "Liquidation World" area with drugstore stuff all at 50% off the sticker prices. Things like nail polish remover, cotton balls, shaving cream, etc. They never sold such items before; most of the stuff was Hudson Bay Company house label.

I'm surprised they've held out this long.

[TexSquared]

So they laid off the two familiar checkout staffers in order to create a sense of urgency, when they had no intention of closing anytime soon? Doesn't make me think too highly of their business practices. Those two did nothing wrong, served customers well, but were used as decoys/pawns in all this. Ugly.

As I have repeated before, I have no intention of returning to this "liquidation sale" until I see a much better deal than 50% off. It's looking like I may never go back. I feel like we've been taken for a ride.