An Organic Star is Born

For months and months, the storefront on 307 Stuyvesant Avenue at the corner of Halsey Street laid boarded up and abandoned.

But the restaurant-lounge once known as Solomon's Porch has been reborn as a mini-market— an organic convenience store, to be exact!

Its revival means no more having to trek all the way out to Fairway, Trader Joe’s, or even Metropolitan Market on the far western end of Bed-Stuy to buy organic fruit and veggies, fresh nuts, Myer’s eco-friendly dishwashing liquid or Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed.

All of these products and several other beloved brands are available for your convenience in the southeastern end of Bed-Stuy!

“I love it; it’s the only place within walking distance that I can find what I actually like to eat,” said Rebecka, 35, who moved into the neighborhood three years ago.

“It’s so cool,” chimed her son, who was holding a bag of organic chips.

“I’m a vegan,” Rebecka added. “I watched them open. And when they first put up the awning, I was like, ‘Finally! I won’t have to go so far in my neighborhood to get what I need.’”

But make no mistake, the store, which debuted about a year ago with an awning that says simply "Organic Food Store," is no Whole Foods: It's a convenience store in the truest sense of the word.

The store's interior is eerily reminiscent of your friendly neighborhood bodega and in many ways appears to still be in transition (you can still get a condom or two from behind the counter and a good-ole, sodium-infused deli meat sandwich).

However, its shelves are brimming over with virtually every environmentally friendly, healthy, organic and gluten-free staple you recognize and love... and for a few cents cheaper.

Some of the products the store carries include Rudi’s organic breads, Dancing Deer baked goods, Bionaturae pastas, Pacific soups, Amy’s and Jyoti’s canned and frozen products, Kind and Bear Naked Cereals, as well as SO Delicious dairy-free frozen goods.

At the very least, there are enough products to stave off one to two trips to Metropolitan Market or Trader Joe’s in Cobble Hill, where parking always is a challenge. Also, for the non-organic patron, it’s a great way to begin sampling healthy food products without the pressure of a total dietary overhaul.

(And if you need cheap batteries, a travel-sized tube of toothpaste or a single-dose packet of aphrodisiacs, you can still find that behind the counter too!)

The Organic Food Store is open Monday through Sunday, from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.