Sunflower Farmers Market opening in Flagstaff by end of year

in Arizona News Featured Headlines Local News by Maria DiCosola — June 13, 2012 at 11:16 am | no comments

By: Maria DiCosola

Flagstaff residents can expect to be able to shop at a new full-service grocery store by the end the year.

Sunflower Farmers Market, an increasingly popular whole foods store, is moving into the University Meadows Shopping Center on Riordan, home of shops including Michaels, Bookmans and Hastings.

Expected to be 26,000 square feet, the store boasts a large variety of fresh ­— and occasionally — locally grown produce, all-natural meats, items that accommodate special dietary needs, as well as a Natural Living department which will offer health and wellness products.

Additionally, they plan on bringing 100 jobs to the area.

Chris Sherrell, Sunflower’s CEO, said the company is enthusiastic about their expansion to Flagstaff.

“We’re thrilled to bring value-priced, healthy, natural and organic groceries to Flagstaff’s college students and families,” Sherrell said in a press release. “We’ve consistently been very well-received in university towns – like Tucson, Tempe, Orem, and Boulder, for example – and look forward to filling a similar demand in Flagstaff, both with our serious food, silly prices and smiling faces and with the jobs we will be able to fill with the new location.”

This branch will be the eighth of its kind in Arizona.

Natural Grocers is expected to open in the old Furniture Barn later this year as well.