Everybodys: A Treasure Of Organic Goods in the Midwest

Situated on the corner of 2nd and Kirkwood in the small town of Fairfield, Iowa, lies Everybody’s Whole Foods store. The property where the store sits along with its relatively large parking lot was once an auto dealership, so the space is wide and inviting. At 10,000 sq. meters they are large enough to support a large number of vehicles, and a bike rack is also available for holding cycles.

Picture: Everybody's in Fairfield, Iowa

The shop Everybody’s sits like a gem of organic goods in an otherwise rather organically starved region. “Customers come from near and far to buy our goods,” says store co-owner John Dey. “People have come all the way from the Chicago area five hours away with the sole intention of quality organic items.”

The location strategy was to put a store of their size on one of the main strips running through town. Main street runs from the east side to the west, and much of the traffic: out-of-towners, locals, and others, are subjected to the sight of Everybody’building: enticing with its promise of organic goods. Thus you find a wide variety of characters shopping in Everybody’s, from kids stopping by for a snack after school, to mothers from Fairfield and even nearby cities buying groceries for the family.  

The store was first opened in 1993. The people, who ran the market in the beginning, continue to do so to this day. They hold a reliable crew of workers comprised of various managers, clerks, cooks, cleaners and more. With 152 employees their team has seen new members come in and old ones leave. But a larger percentage of their employees remain loyal and stay with Everybody’s for years. There are roughly 50 employees per outlet.

What is so great about this store anyway? What is it that creates a desire in people to come from hours away just to buy food? As is the case with any successful store, John Dey believes that the feedback from customers is essential in making sure everyone is happy and continues to come back. In addition, he thinks the presentation/lay out of the store is crucial in providing an atmosphere that is comfortable, and fits in with the organic theme. “We do a good deal of compact fluorescents,” says John. “The store has an interior structure with a natural and easy feel to it. The shelves and parts of the wall are made of wood.”

Although the store has a nice variety of different organic products both fresh and processed, the majority of their organic items lie in the produce section. “About 70 % of the fruits and vegetables are organic,” says John. “At Everybody’s we support the local organic produce co-op and buy many of our fruits and vegetables from them.” The produce is sold to the store which in turn provides the freshest organic fruits and vegetables possible to the community, and the cycle continues. In addition to the large percentage of fresh organic items, approximately 85-90 % of the total products offered in the store are organic. They claim to use both the transport by the wholesaler bringing goods with the lorry, and also spedition logistics.

UNFI is the primary supplier of goods to Everybody’s. In addition there a number of locally produced goods such as fresh sauces, desserts, sandwiches, soups, dairy products and more. A local dairy known as “Radiance Dairy” supplies top notch fresh milk, cream and cheeses to the store. They say that their delicious dairy products are the result of providing the cows with the best organic fresh feed, and giving them plenty of loving attention.

Over the years Everybody’s name has become synonymous with healthy delicious food for any occasion. To bring in those customers who have been beyond the reach of word of mouth, and also to announce special product deals, Everybody’s has TV advertisements on the local news. One can also find out about these specials on various goods in one of the free local newspapers called “the Source.”

Although they lack being able to claim fresh bread everyday from their bakery oven, they have a nice selection of different breads brought in fresh 3 times per week from the nearest major health food store in Iowa City. Homemade breads from the Amish community 45 minutes away are available as well.

A restaurant sits in the back of the store with a selection of soups and hot dishes during weekday lunches. Twice a week at night one can go for burgers and freshly made French fries, and on Sundays there is an “all you can eat” buffet with various pastas, vegetables, and even a breakfast section with freshly cooked eggs, pancakes, and hash browns. Everybody’s has a deli section in the store where ready to go sandwiches, soups, sauces etc. are ready to be picked up.

The downside to all this for the largely omnivoric population of the area almost no meat is sold in Everybody’s. The only animal products besides the eggs which are organic and brought in from local farms, are a selection of few frozen fish, chicken, and turkey dishes. The store’s and restaurant’s combined offer are meatless products. It truly is a vegetarian’s paradise.

Possibly the most interesting fact about Everybody’s besides the large variety of organics is the fact that they have half an aisle devoted solely to natural medicines. They only feature CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) to treat ailments and illnesses. A homeopathic section sits at the end of the aisle with medicines on one side and natural and organic bath products on the other. Even here, one can find everything from organic soaps and shampoos to toothbrushes and toothpaste.

The website, www.everybodyswholefoods.com, offers a link where members can shop online, ordering the products they want to be picked up or even be delivered. One can do a product search, find recipes, and also receive a newsletter on what’s happening with the store. A detailed website for a store of their size seems like a rare thing these days.