Tough decision
Organic food store closing after 20 years in Waterloo
WATERLOO — Eileen Grogan is in the midst of sharing her story when a customer pokes her head into the office to tell her how much she’ll be missed.
That’s been a common occurrence in recent days, ever since Grogan announced she’ll be closing her store, Eating Well Organically, in the coming weeks.
“A lot of hugs and kisses and crying and tears,” Grogan says. “I know it’s the right decision, but it doesn’t make it an easy decision.”
The 2,100-square-foot store — specializing in local, organic and fair trade foods — has been a fixture on King Street South in Waterloo for two decades, a venture that followed Grogan’s 17year stint as a partner in Kitchener’s Full Circle Foods.
The past few years haven’t been easy, Grogan says. Years of light rail transit construction and ongoing streetscaping projects in uptown Waterloo dug into store sales, stripped away parking spots and complicated deliveries.
“None of the stores in the area have seen a resurgence back to what we had before,” she says, adding her business’ bottom line has been further impacted by the rise of online retail and soaring power rates.
Grogan, who turns 64 this year, wasn’t planning on retiring just yet. But with her lease up for renewal at the end of March, a decision loomed.
“You start crunching the numbers,” she says. “It’s a lot more of a struggle than it’s ever been.” Grogan hasn’t set a specific closing date.
While her rent was set to rise,
Grogan says her landlord proposed a fair and reasonable increase. She says provincial labour law changes, including the increased minimum wage, weren’t a factor in her decision. Eating Well Organically employed a dozen people at one time, but there are currently four employees.
With a focus on local products where possible and a staff offering personal service and informed advice, the business developed a loyal clientele over the years.
“We always sold products that we thought were ethical,” Grogan says.
“I think we gave people the best value and service that we could possibly come up with.”
And it’s the people that Grogan says she’ll miss the most. “The customers, the farmers, the connections I have to the community,” she says.
“They’re like your family.”