Organic Grocery Option Coming To The Park

When one door closes, another door opens. That is the case in the Park Plaza shopping center.

JOANN, the fabrics and crafts store, will close its Severna Park location in January. MOM’s Organic Market will take over the Ritchie Highway space by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

The 11,839-square-foot Severna Park MOM’s will follow three other soon-to-open stores, for a total of 12 in Maryland and 27 overall for the Rockville-based group.

Over three decades, owner Scott Nash has grown MOM’s from a home delivery business out of his mom’s garage to a chain with nearly 25 stores in six states and Washington, D.C.

MOM's provides sustainable seafood, meat and poultry raised with non-GMO feed, which are free from hormones or antibiotics. The store has banned more than 250 ingredients, including artificial flavorings, colors, sweeteners, preservatives and hydrogenated oils.

Spokespersons from MOM’s said their research indicated a lack of natural and organic food grocery stores in Severna Park.

“We have wanted to expand further into the region,” said Christine Messier, chief brand officer for MOM's Organic Market. “This opportunity popped up and we knew we had to take it! We are so excited to serve the community with the highest-quality organic produce, sustainable seafood, extensive bulk options, a health and wellness section, and more.”

Messier said there will be plenty of parking to accommodate MOM's Severna Park customers.

The landlord, Continental Realty Corporation, is excited about the upcoming addition.

“Attracting a recognized and high-profile grocery store to the Park Plaza tenant mix has been a long-term goal of ours, and we are particularly thrilled to welcome MOM’s Organic Market given its specialized niche in this category and established track record of long-term success and traffic generation,” Kristina O’Keefe, vice president of Continental Realty Corporation’s commercial division, wrote in a statement.

“MOM’s is considered a best-in-class organic grocery store with an incredibly strong commitment to its customers and the local community. The concept is accessible to everyone, features competitive pricing and offers a smaller footprint than most traditional grocery stores, which makes it easier to navigate and shop. With more than 125,000 people residing within a five-mile radius of Park Plaza, we are confident that MOM’s will perform exceptionally well and provide significant value to the immediate area, as well as our existing tenants.”

To get acquainted with MOM’s Organic Market offerings, Marylanders can check out any of these other locations. And, as a bonus, the store will recycle any working or not-working Christmas lights now through January 31. Just remove lights from bags and place the lights in a designated recycling bin at MOM’s.