A quiet leader in Detroit's food renaissance, Goodwells Market provides a model for success

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A quiet leader in Detroit's food renaissance, Goodwells Market provides a model for success
AARON FOLEY | TUESDAY, MAY 05, 2015

[font size="4"]As more chain stores make their way to rebounding Detroit, smaller businesses may feel the pinch. Even more pressing is how black-owned businesses in Detroit, such as Goodwells, will fare as the city moves forward.[/font]


With nine years in the game, Goodwells Natural Food Market is a relative veteran in Midtown -- or Cass Corridor. Whatever name you fancy for the area, the market's existence straddles the birth of one neighborhood and the rebranding of another.

Eating naturally was not new to Detroit, but Goodwells did precede the organic, farm-to-table boom now standard in comeback stories of Detroit and other cities. Locally, one needs to look no further than Whole Foods, which opened in 2013 and marked a turning point in food retailing in Detroit.

For a brief time, Whole Foods spelled trouble for Goodwells, co-owner James Wood admits. "For the first six months, there was no real effect," he says. "But after that, they pretty much wiped out our grocery business at first. We're starting to rebound now."

Wood is a busy man and a challenge to pin down. In the mornings before Goodwells opens, Wood is stocking shelves with fresh produce and other groceries. Things pick up around lunchtime as customers pack the shop, waiting in line for Goodwells' famous pocket sandwiches and homemade vegan soups. And Wood spends the hours after closing straightening up the place. ..........................(more)

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