MOM's Organic Market opens 19th store

MOM's Organic Market opened its 19th location earlier this month in Gaithersburg, MD.  The 16,000 square foot store follows recent openings in White Marsh, MD, Cherry Hill, NJ, Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA.

According to Founder and CEO Scott Nash, the company doesn't have openings scheduled for the next 12 to 18 months, but will "put the pedal to the metal again in a couple years."

The company's Gaithersburg location features the retailers first in-store bakery, which Nash says is a test. It also includes an outlet of the chain's Naked Lunch eatery, which offers all-organic, vegetarian prepared items.

Gaitheresburg also includes many of the services that MOM's is known for, including free car-charging stations; a recycling center for corks, eyeglasses, cell phones, household batteries, shoes and plastic bags; a green roof that increases energy efficiency; rain gardens; and pollinator-friendly plants that help filter out pollutants in storm water runoff.

Mom's Organic Market opens in Cherry Hill

Mom's Organic Market opened a new store last weekend on Kings Highway in Cherry Hill, NJ. The company now operates 16 stores, including one in Bryn Mawr, PA, and has plans for a third area store in Center City Philadelphia.

According to Store Manager Jen Weigel, the Cherry Hill location is the chain's largest at 22,000 square feet.

CEO Scott Nash thinks of Mom's as "a third leg on a stool... Whole Foods sells about 25,000 products and Trader Joe's, about 3,000 to 4,000. We sell 14,000 to 15,000, so we're somewhere in between the two."

According to the company, all produce is certified organic, bottled water and plastic bags are not allowed, and they boast a 93 percent companywide recycling rate.

Mom's minimum wage is $12 an hour, and Cherry Hill store perks for employees include a free meal daily at Naked Lunch, the in-store restaurant, paid maternity leave, subsidies towards the purchase of a hybrid or electric car, and a 30 percent discount on all products.