Ambrosia Natural Foods district manager Gillian Behrman said opening up a new branch has challenges.
With the Toronto-based health food grocery expanding, Behrman said it provides a chance to leave a mark.
“There’s an element of fun to it because anytime you’re starting with something new, you have a chance to be creative and give your own input and set something up the way you want it done,” she said. “There’s a lot of moving parts to set up a store.”
The franchise opened a new, fourth location in Newmarket at 17555 Yonge St. Nov. 8. Offering supplements, bulk foods, and organic and natural items, the store aims to be an affordable way to access healthier foods. It has about 50 employees, a mixture of full-time and part-time Behrman said.
The store previously existed in Newmarket farther down Yonge Street, with an associated Facebook page last posting in 2016. Behrman said that was a franchise with a different owner under an agreement going back many years. But this new location has the same ownership as the other three Ambrosia locations.
“The owner had since retired and closed down Ambrosia Newmarket,” Behrman said. “That gave the current owners and original wonders the chance to open.”
The store has got a positive buzz on social media in its first two weeks of operation.
“I hope it's as good as the one that was near Mulock Dr. before,” one area resident said on social media. “I still have some stuff I bought there so long ago … Good place, good prices.”
“I will come all the way from Collingwood,” another person said in response to an opening announcement on Instagram. “ I’m looking forward to shopping at your new store.”
The store is attracting enthusiastic customers and familiar faces from other stores, Behrman said. She further said that the store opening was prompted by demand from people to the north of other locations in Toronto, Vaughan and Thornhill.
“We’re getting better and better at opening new locations,” she said. “It went really smoothly, so I’m really happy about that.”
Behrman herself has worked with Ambrosia since 2007, working her way up from cashier.
“There’s always learning opportunities here,” she said. “Every day is different. It’s not a desk job, that’s for sure.”
The goal of Ambrosia is to put everything into bringing the price of healthy food down, she said.
“These aren’t luxury items. They aren’t just only for certain people,” she said. “We want everyone in the community to feel like they can come and stop here.”
Behrman said she hopes the store can become a community fixture, participating in community initiatives.
Although expansion is something the store is also considering, for now, it is focused on making the Newmarket location the best it can be.
“We’d like to be part of the community that we’re in and make sure we get along with our neighbours,” she said. “That was important to us right away.”
