Natural foods enthusiasts aim to get Pickerington Whole Foods
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Messenger photo by Lori Smith
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Drs. Lisa and John Jones, Pickerington residents and co-owners of Active Life Family Chiropractic, are spearheading an effort to get a Whole Foods store in the community.
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Americans are overfed and undernourished, and part of the reason is the lack of convenience for nutritious and unprocessed foods, one Pickerington couple says.
That’s why chiropractors Drs. Lisa and John Jones, who co-own Active Life Family Chiropractic in Pickerington, are spearheading an effort to get a Whole Foods Market in the area.
Whole Foods features high-quality natural and organic products, and the closest stores are 28 miles away in Upper Arlington and 36 miles away in north Columbus. Those are the only two central Ohio locations, and there are no other similar health food stores in the east side of Columbus, they say.
“We’ve talked about this for a while,” John Jones said, noting they make the trek to the store to stock up on natural and organic foods about once a month. “We decided to stop complaining about it and do something about it.”
The duo has declared they really want to get the company’s notice, and are asking everybody they know to contact the company and tell them they would shop there if a closer location was available.
“Our plan is to get their attention and have them look at this side of town,” Lisa Jones said. “Most of the bigger cities we have gone to have several locations. Why can’t we? This side of town doesn’t really have any place to get natural and organic foods.”
Although some of the big box stores have a selection of natural and organic products, there’s not a place on this side of town to do “one-stop shopping” for someone trying to eat naturally and healthfully, they said.
“It’s so far away,” Lisa Jones said. “Every time we go there, I put in a comment card that says I want them to put one in the east side.”
Lisa Jones has Crohn’s disease, which affects the intestines and requires a special diet. She prefers shopping at Whole Foods because they label the ingredients on everything they sell, even the products in the deli.
“They sell real food – it’s not as processed,” she said. “Whole nuts, whole flours … it’s one of the few places I get can coconut that’s not sugared.”
Healthier options are around, she noted, but they are much harder to come by.
“Farmer’s markets are great, but they are very seasonable,” John Jones added. “Whole Foods can pull foods from all over the world, any time of the year.”
The duo is planning to circulate fliers throughout the community, asking people to contact Whole Foods to consider Pickerington as a potential site. They have contacted Joe Henderson, development services director for the city of Pickerington, about the issue. John Jones said the development director has indicated he will reach out to Whole Foods executives to see if they would have any interest in the area for a future store.
They pointed out there is a large parcel of land at I-70 and S.R. 256 that has been empty for years that would be a great location for a Whole Foods.
“Our goal is to get a few thousand people to contact them so we can bug them in a short period of time,” John Jones said.
If you build it, they will come, Lisa Jones added.
“I think people are finding that diet has a big impact on their health,” Lisa said. “What you put in your mouth matters.”
The couple is encouraging residents to go to the Whole Foods website, wholefoodsmarket.com/company/service.php.
About halfway down the page, go to “contact us via e-mail” then “choose topic.” Under “company” select “store location request.” Enter your name, email address and ZIP code and submit. Residents can also call the corporate office at (512) 477-4455.