Building community, serving customer key to Lucky's MarketBuilding community, serving customer key to Lucky's Market

The sign "Good food for all" at the front of the store touts an important Lucky's Market philosophy.

To Bo Sharon, the grocery business is only natural—in management philosophy and food (mostly).

“I believe we know our customer,” Sharon said as he introduced the second Lucky’s Market in Boulder County, Colo., during its soft opening Aug. 13. “The local and organic industry is bursting, but we still remember where we came from.”

And this includes roasting Jet-Puffed Marshmallows over a campfire, drinking a classic (or better yet Diet) Coke and cooking with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.

“It’s what you need for age-old casserole recipes that can’t be substituted and shouldn’t be substituted,” he said.

The Lucky’s Market cachet may extend from the grocer’s support of local foods (even managing its own farm) and giving small natural brands big breaks, but for Sharon, it’s all about building community in a neighborhood grocery store.

“We’re humble, we don’t judge,” he said. “You need to empower your customers and they’ll choose.”

See a collection of pictures showcasing the new Lucky’s Market in Longmont, Colo.

So customers in Longmont will find local and organic produce at conventional prices. And in the center store, they’ll find a unique approach that blends natural and organic offerings with a smattering of iconic American brands. A couple gallons of Viva milk sit in the cooler surrounded by various natural and organic options. Below several shelves of Blue Sky soda, Lucky’s offers a handful of Coke products by the case. In the snack aisle, customers can choose from the explosion of natural snacks or find Lay’s potato chips, Fritos and Sun Chips interspersed on the bottom two shelves. The philosophy follows in cereal, baking, ethnic and condiment sets.

For Sharon, it’s not about building business, it’s about building community. He pointed to a customer walking past the umbrella-covered red picnic tables to one of the store’s two entrances. “We’re a community grocery store where she can feel comfortable, she can feel a part of the community. Our number one goal is to deliver products she wants.”

The keys: Listening and caring. “You have to care to succeed,” Sharon said, “and have the knowledge to put it into action quickly.”

The 26,000-square-foot Longmont location covers about twice the footprint of the store located in the city of Boulder. Primary product selections remain the same, but the larger store allows double facing. Highlights of the plaza redevelopment location include:

Sharon describes himself as a food guy not a numbers man. “We’re food freaks, that’s the point of differentiation,” he said.

But business acumen adds up, as he partnered this year with natural retail leader Patrick Gilliland (formerly of Wild Oats Markets and Sunflower Farmers Market) to build a new Midwest chain called Lucky’s Farmers Market. The first store under this brand is set to open in Columbus, Ohio, in October. Plans also exist for locations in Louisville, Ky., Billings and Bozeman, Mont., and Columbia, Mo.

The vision: building local community in a national way. Part of this recipe includes blending the emotion and community of food. Sharon talked wistfully about cooking and coming together around the table.

“You remember great meals and remember great food, put it together and you have Lucky’s.”