With Earth Fare closure days away, spokesperson cites ‘direct competition’ as main reason for store’s demise

WILLIAMSBURG – Earth Fare Williamsburg will permanently close its doors within a matter of days, according to employees familiar with the matter.

The Midtown Row supermarket, which specializes in natural and organic products, marked down all items by 75% on Wednesday. By Thursday evening, the majority of the store’s remaining inventory had sold out, and shelves were mostly bare. The store has reduced its operating hours and is currently open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Laurie Aker, Earth Fare’s marketing director, told The Triangle the decision to close the Williamsburg store was based on difficult market conditions as well as logistical issues.

“Geographical challenges and direct competition were two main contributing factors that we were unable to overcome,” Aker said.

Williamsburg’s grocery market has become increasingly competitive in recent years. Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix, The Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s, Aldi’s, Walmart and Target all operate stores within a few miles of Earth Fare, though no other full-service grocery store specializes primarily in organic products or nutritional supplements.

Distribution barriers were also attributed to the store’s woes. The Williamsburg location is almost four hours away from the next nearest Earth Fare store, which created logistical challenges. 

The grocer is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. It is unclear if the damage the area recently sustained from Hurricane Helene contributed to financial difficulties or distribution issues.

Earth Fare currently operates 16 locations on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The only other Virginia store is in Christiansburg.

The Triangle’s readers had mixed reactions regarding the closure of the store. Some said the prices there were consistently too high, while others expressed shock and disappointment, saying there are no comparable alternatives in the area.

“Farewell Earth Fare,” one reader said in a social media post. “Your prices were too steep for me.”

“They have tons of organic and allergen-friendly foods. Way more than any other grocery store,” another reader lamented. “Their meat is by far the best you can get apart from local regenerative farmers, which barely exists here in VA. Most importantly, the staff actually knows about the products they sell!”

Since reopening in 2020, Earth Fare Williamsburg has been considered a vital component of the Midtown Row development initiative. Just two months ago, the grocer partnered with CultureFix to host a free fall festival for the community. 

Several employees, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Triangle the decision to close the store appeared to be abrupt, and they received no advanced warning.

One long-time associate said they were not aware the store was going out of business until an announcement was sent out to customers via email. 

According to Aker, employees will have the opportunity to move into other available positions within Earth Fare, though they would need to relocate to take advantage of the offer.

“Earth Fare is making it a priority to offer open positions at other Earth Fare locations to Williamsburg team members if they are interested,” Aker said.

Employees said they have not been offered severance pay or any other compensation amid the closure.

It is unclear what the future holds for the soon-to-be-vacant store. Several employees said they have been led to believe that another retail facility may soon be taking over.

Nicole Trifone, communications director for the City of Williamsburg, said the city is “always disappointed when a business closes” but expressed optimism that another business would move into the space in the coming months.

“Fortunately, our market is a strong draw for entrepreneurs and national brands alike,” Trifone said. “The owner of the space is working with new possible tenants, and we look forward to welcoming another business to Williamsburg in the near future.”