Oct. 26, 2008 — The venerable Fruit Bowl market, long an island mainstay with its variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, has doubled in size and products, now offering a number of other culinary selections.
The store is now "four times the size when I first started," said Manager James Clark, who has been with the store 26 years — almost from the get-go.
The store's employees are loyal, some as familiar to local resident as their own family members: The always-smiling Janice Conner has about 26 years behind the counter, while Susie Joseph has logged about 10 years. Owner Marty Goldberg's son, David, has been at the store for 10 years.
The location has been completely renovated over the past few months. Walking in the brightly lighted store now, it looks like Main Street USA. Each time you enter the store something new has been added. Freezers line one wall filled with meats, ice cream, fish amd artisan breads.
Soon, Goldberg and Clark say, there will be something else unique to the island — serve-yourself bins filled with bulk nuts, beans, lentils, grains, barleys and trail mix. A serve-yourself salad bar should also appear in a couple of weeks.
The same family has owned the shop since it opened in 1975. In a news release, Marty Goldberg said his goal is to "increase efficiency and improve the shopping experience for our customers with the increased space offering many more organic and traditional products."
In celebrating the expanded store, Goldberg says he is offering green shopping bags below cost, at 99 cents, to cut down on the use of the potentially harmful plastic bags.
The Goldberg's' community spirit is reflected in its sponsorship for the past 26 years of the annual St. Thomas Association of Roadrunners Women's Jogger Jam. The store donates $5 for every finisher to whichever cause the race is sponsoring, as well as providing the venue and some much-needed sustenance in the way of fresh fruit afterwards.
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