Former New Seasons CEO launching healthy convenience stores in Portland
Former New Seasons Markets CEO Lisa Sedlar announced this week her plans to open her first outlets of a chain of healthy convenience stores under the name Green Zebra Grocery.
As Portland Business Journal's Real Estate Daily reports, the first two locations will be in the Woodstock and Kenton neighborhoods.
Sedlar says the whole idea is to bring "health to people's neighborhoods."
In other words, no 40-ouncers, no cigarettes, lots of fresh produce and convenience foods prepared on site in store kitchens. There will be a selection of locally produced beer and wine, plus the basics to put together meals at home.
"It's a mashup on the idea of a convenience store," Sedlar said.
The smaller store footprint — 5,000 to 6,000 square feet — makes it both leaner and greener, Sedlar said. It will take less of a toll on the environment, take fewer staff to operate and can slot into more neighborhoods than, for example, her previous employer, New Seasons.
Sedlar resigned her post as New Seasons CEO in November to start her own chain of health-focused convenience stores.
New Seasons is a minority investor in Green Zebra, Sedlar said. She is raising a first round of several million but declined to name other investors. She is investing her own funds as well. An initial $1 million will fund the opening of the first store.
The Woodstock store will be located at the corner of Woodstock and Southeast 49th Ave. The Kenton location will be at Lombard Street and Peninsular Avenue.
The Portland Business Journal is a KATU News partner.
Gee. I wish I were overweight, rich and bored...oh hell I'm 2 outta 3! The average shopper can't afford to buy healthy food in a "real" grocery store, how will a jacked-up one-stop make a difference? Good luck.
I hope they keep their prices down. The Woodstock location will be just a short walk from where I live, and I'd happily walk a couple blocks past 7-Eleven to purchase healthier goods (everything there is overpriced crap anyways). But if they are going to be as expensive as New Seasons, they can forget it. These are financially hard times for a lot of people, myself included, and spending an extra dollar per apple in the name of "curbing climate change" and all that trendy green rubbish is a waste of valuable resources. I like to eat healthy, and I also like to be frugal. A lot of these vegetables they charge out the ass for, I can grow in my own backyard for half the year. Kale is nutritious, delicious when raw or steamed, and can be grown in Winter. I grow lettuce, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, zucchini, beans, peas, blueberries, strawberries, prunes, and also some edible flowers. With good yield you can have delicious salads everyday. (I don't see that as hippie, I see it as common sense.) And like I said, I don't believe in the majority of this "green" crap. It's a corporate scam. But what's also a scam is charging double or triple what you should for your products...although, I guess when your sales staff and clerks all wear thick black-rimmed [often lensless] glasses, flannel shirts, skinny jeans, North Face puffers and scruffy beards and drive a Prius or ride their bicycle to work, you can get away with astronomical prices because customers feel they are purchasing from legitimate, hip, civilized people; and that just makes the food better! :D There is little molecular difference between the berries I grow and the 6 oz carton of berries adorning a $12.99 price tag at New Seasons. Anyways. Bottom line: people can shop wherever they want, and I'm glad to see a health-focused store opening up. I hope it draws some folks away from the grease, trans fat, monosodium glutamate, and high-fructos corn syrup wonderland that is 7-Eleven. Just realize that not everyone can afford to live in a rustic worn-brick warehouse loft.
Nice concept, but seriously, I'm not a fan of buying stuff from a "Green Zebra"
@pdxd There's going to be a lot of unhappy people when they realize the store doesn't sell what they thought the store would sell.
If she can beat the BLOATED PRICES AT NEW SEASONS,
I say good luck to her.
Â
P.S. I dearly miss Natures stores.
The old Natures Stores got it right.
great, new spots that i can sell my handmade recycled disposable razor jewelery
Hate to tell you this, but most people I've seen going into convenience stores go in to get a quick candy bar or snack, beer, ciggies, or lottery tickets. They don't go in to get fresh vegetables, or anything else besides what I've mentioned.
No 40's? Racist!
What is interesting is that she is creating a new health food store chain but she is unhealthy herself!
Â
And then there is this quote " the idea is to bring health to people's neighborhoods." Well, what about banning the sugar, the caffeine, etc? These foods bring detriment to people's health...
 @portlandborn83 Banning caffeine? You must be destroyed. ;)
Â
Â
 @portlandborn83 And how is she unhealthy? Because she has a little weight? Because she's not bone skinny? Did you stop to think she could be one of the millions who have Hypothyroidism such as me?  I carry some weight and yet I eat healthy and follow my doctor's advice in regards to exercise, food types to eat, and amount of carbs/sugars to eat. It's just I can't lose the weight like a normal person can & tend to gain weight more easily even on medication. Before you judge, you might want to have some facts. I applaud her effort. We, as a society, do eat too much junk. We're getting better but can always do more to make ourselves healthier and also to teach our children how to eat well and healthy.
 @Kymberlie2873  @portlandborn83 "Hypothyroidism"...ohhh....that's what they call it now, I remember when it was just "big boned"
You're confusing a cognizant self induced health problem with one that in many cases isn't.  You're statement is true nonetheless, albeit hazy criteria for dismissal of this womanâs knowledge of health food. I like your skepticism though, that alone is a tool worth keeping.
So my statement would be correct then if she has hyperthyroidism...
 @deejm2112  @portlandborn83 Look it up. It's real. I was diagnosed over 15 years ago and, even, with medication, it is a struggle to keep weight off and an even bigger struggle to lose any. It's also a very big hindrance when one has diabetes as well as it's difficult to control blood sugar with a thyroid condition whether it be an overactive or underactive thyroid. My step-father is Type 1 diabetic since he was a young boy and, because of radiation exposure, his thyroid doesn't work at all. He can drop to a blood sugar level of 20 then jump up to over 400 within hours. Thankfully, he's on a medication regiment that has relatively stabilized him and he is able to keep his weight at the right level.
So, you want the sugar removed from apples, oranges, etc? Moderated use of many things are not 'detrimental' to the health of all users. You know what else isn't good? Sitting in front of a computer. Just enough knowledge to be dangerous, eh?
 @JGalt You are trying to compare Fructose (natural sugar) to Sucrose (refined sugar) they are two totally separate things.....
Â
"Just enough knowledge to be dangerous, eh?"
Not enough knowledge to be dangerous, eh?
 @JGalt It's hard to pick up sarcasm online sometimes
He didn't specify, so I responded in kind. You write well, but your reading needs some work.
So going to Freddies or Safeway and purchasing the same items in small sizes or large sizes (if that is your choice) just like you can at any New Seasons large or small is a lesser choice?Â
Â
I don't get the marketting here. How is this better or best - or healthier. Seeing :how" in the first and last place there is no health advantage to marketting to an organic label - at all.Â
Â
Â
@englishdaisy If you can't brag about what you're doing, then you're not doing it right. I think that's what the appeal is. You gotta be a one-upper in Portland.
Another scam to make the hipsters pay more because they think they are saving the planet,The planet will be here long after they have came and went .But somebody has to make money off them when they are here. Besides gives them something to brag about over their double vente with the peppermint twist!
I agree mostly - namely because I've seen my fair share of people that have reached the suma of hypocrisy in regards to them wanting to save the planet while they consume more and waste more than people that just live day to day conservatively.   Â
Â
Itâs more about being sensible, and minimizing our impact, not necessarily for earths sake, because like you said "the planet will be here long after" -  but for others species including our own species experience.  We're the stewards and we're hurting ourselves due to our negligence. Â
Â
We need to save ourselves first, from our own ignorance. Grow your own - permaculture is one of many routes to a healthier less impactive lifestyle. Less impactive not only on the environment but more importantly less impactive on one another and other species.
Living longer = Consuming more food and energy.
How the heII is this 'green'? They don't talk about that.
 @podunk.2  That last sentence, the double whatever? Yeah, I think my favorite bartender makes one of those , , , only thing is, *he* makes 'em with bourbon and leaves out the mint thingy.
 @Jumpin' Jehosophat  @podunk.2 These 'healthy' stores are kind of hypocritical. Cigarettes are bad, but hooch in the form of beer and wine is OK.
I suppose they should sell meth, too? If you don't understand the difference in health habits between cigarettes and beer/wine, you should get out more. Most people can handle drinking beer or wine in moderation(especially when the beer is $10/6-pack), but not so much in regards to cigarettes.
What a waste. I try to conserve and go green ... I reuse my shot glasses and minimize the impact of their ingredients - whiskey only.
Gotta say..... this made me laugh "It will take less of a toll on the environment,"   first I just laugh when these greenies really think this really saving the planet....... and second, ya its less of a carbon foot print than a regular NS market........ but then it will serve far fewer patrons than a NS market so I doubt the carbon footprint per customer will really be much  different if at all.
but I guess the bottom line is...... how much more will the greenies be willing to pay for their groceries to save the planet.
It's another selling point, and a hollow one at that. I don't know why they think that just providing healthy, ethically raised or organically grown produce can't stand on its own merit, that should be enough... oh no, it needs to be inflated with notions of grandeur. We can't be totally consumed with "saving the planet" when we can't even save ourselves from one another.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, IMHO it will be all a matter of pricing. Hope they do well.
Â
Â
I've been wondering how long it would take for Mom'n'Pop stores to return to traditional corners in neighborhoods. This is a refreshing trend -- expensive, but refreshing.