New Seasons Market is now open on Mercer Island, and it’s everything we hoped it would be.

Bright and friendly with plentiful parking, a one-stop shop for your organic, gluten-free, non-GMO goods along with your favorite conventional brands.

I bumped into a friend there who said it feels like “Disneyland.” I’ve heard rave reviews about the bakery. To me, it’s prepared-food nirvana.  Finally! A quick, healthy grab-and-go lunch or dinner for my family, right here on Mercer Island. We can even enjoy our meals in New Seasons’ spacious cafe seating section and avoid dealing with dishes at home.

I’ve visited every day since they opened, and the store manager Jennie Lea said I’m not the only one.

If you haven’t stopped by yet, check out The Daring Gourmet’s virtual tour. I met Kimberly, a self-confessed grocery-store geek, at the pre-opening event, and she spent 2.5 hours exploring and photographing the store.

It’s also pretty cool that New Seasons donates 10% of after-tax profits to local non-profit community partners, including Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, Mercer Island Farmers Market, St. Monica’s Friends of the Needy, and the Mercer Island Schools Foundation.

New Seasons also offers Discount Days for special community members. On “Military Tuesdays,” New Seasons offers 10% off most items to service members. On “Senior Wednesdays,” New Seasons offers 10% off most items to shoppers “65 or better.”

Finally, New Seasons is just a fun place to shop, and the staff are pretty darn friendly, taking New Seasons’ motto “Friendliest store in town,” quite seriously. Mercer Island already had a very friendly downtown retail community, and New Seasons fits right in.

New Seasons is located at 2755 77th Ave SE and open daily from 7 am to 10 pm.  Learn more at:  www.newseasonsmarket.com/our-stores/mercerisland/