Natural Grocers opens in downtown Loveland

LOVELAND — The banner read “Now Open,” and the parking lot was full Wednesday as the new Natural Grocers opened its doors in downtown Loveland.

The official grand opening at 745 N. Lincoln Ave., is set for Nov. 15, but customers were not waiting. It’s the 45th Natural Grocers store in Colorado for the Lakewood-based company. Natural Grocers is a trade name for Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets Inc.

The new store is a redevelopment of a blighted site in the downtown area, and it came with an incentive package negotiated by the Downtown Development Authority. The deal provided the grocer with a sales-tax rebate of up to $500,000 that can be collected over 10 years. The rebate reimburses the company for additional infrastructure and aesthetic features not typically used at other Natural Grocer sites. About $50,000 would be used to bury overhead power lines, and $450,000 would be used for a brick cladding on the building, additional windows and covered walkways.

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The store encompasses 14,000 square feet.

Sean Hawkins, executive director of the DDA, said his organization is excited about the opening.

“It was a blighted area with drug traffic going on. That site had not generated any sales tax since 2006,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins hopes that the development will inspire other improvements to the area.

“There are numerous properties for sale in that area and north, so there will be a lot of change in that area in the coming years,” he said.

Natural Grocers will kick off the festivities at 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 15 with a $2,500 donation to the Food Bank for Larimer County, followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony.

“We’ve been serving the people of Colorado since 1955. We look forward to bringing nutritious food to Loveland and its surrounding communities at prices they can afford — one of the main principles Natural Grocers was founded on in 1955 and that we continue to uphold today,” Raquel Isely, vice president of marketing for Natural Grocers, said in a written statement. “The Loveland area offers that perfect Colorado mix of Front Range and rural living. Folks here are interested in where their food comes from and are familiar with the process. The Loveland Downtown district has done an amazing job rejuvenating an area with such a rich history,” she said.

The store will offer 25% discounts on all purchases for three days to celebrate the opening. Multiple prizes and gifts also are planned for customers who turn out for opening festivities.