The Natural Market

Location: 2149 York Road, Timonium

Phone: 410-560-3133

Website: www.TheNaturalMkt.com

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 8:00 pm.; Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm; Sunday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. 

Despite its almost hidden location and premium prices, The Natural Market has been drawing a loyal clientele for more than two decades.   

Steve Schwarz opened The Natural Market in 1987 on Cranbrook Road in Cockeysville. Seven years ago, he expanded and moved the shop to the Timonium Shopping Center, across from the Timonium Fairgrounds. 

“He is dedicated to what he does. He’s a vegetarian and tries to educate himself on the quality of the ingredients in the products we carry,” said assistant manager Katie Villegas. 

Schwarz says he has visited labs and manufacturing plants to research vitamins and herbs.  

“I want to make sure the quality meets our standards, and I try to carry better quality than what you’d find at another store,” said Schwarz. 

Better quality comes with a cost. The Natural Market’s prices are higher than other markets, but Schwarz said he’s working to lower prices in order to be more consistent with other retailers, including the Giant Food with which it has shared the shopping center since 2009.  

“In some cases, you’re paying for higher quality, but we are also competing with big chains that buy in volume," he said. "So they get lower pricing than we do.” 

The Natural Market’s customers also pay for personal service and educated employees. Sometimes price is not the most important thing, especially when it comes to your health. The Natural Market has a supplement specialist on staff to help people choose proper homeopathic remedies. That alone can save customers big bucks because they don’t have to experiment with lots of herbs and minerals. Instead, they can ask the expert.  

Popular Lines carried: Shiloh Farms, Dr. Praeger’s, Peter Rabbit Organics, Barleans Organic Oils, Good Belly, Trickling Springs, Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids, My Chelle. 

Pluses: The Natural Brothers’ Deli operates out of the store. It sells wheatgrass shots, vegetarian wraps, sandwiches and salads, and homemade vegetarian dishes such as brown rice and quinoa with slaw, spicy veggie stir-fried rice, tofu and mixed vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes and baklava. There are two indoor and two outdoor tables to sit and eat.  

The Natural Market offers a large selection of fermented drinks like Kombucha teas, Zukay and other pro-biotics. Fair trade coffees and herbs are sold in bulk at reasonable prices and it has a large selection of packaged and frozen gluten-free and wheat-free products. You can also make your own peanut butter, organic or regular. The store carries hard-to-find items like Brazil Nut Butter, Gee, veggie jerky, Trickling Springs local-made ice cream and biodegradable household products like Fallen Palm Leaves Plates.  

The Natural Market's online store is extensive and lists most items and prices.  

Although the store carries very little produce, Villegas says all of it is organic, and in the summer, the produce comes from One Straw Farm in White Hall. 

Employees are knowledgeable and take their time with customers – something you won’t find in your everyday grocery store and this is the place to go with questions about homeopathic remedies. 

Minuses: Most items are expensive, although Schwarz says he has lowered many prices and is working to lower them even more. It’s also a small space with lots of products, so it feels cramped. There is only one register, so checkout can be slow if there’s a line.  

Although the floor staff is knowledgeable and helpful, I found the customer service at the checkout to leave something to be desired.  It took at least five minutes longer than it should have, and for a busy mom—that’s too long to wait.  

Costs:

Ezekiel Bread: $5.59

Organic Valley Milk: $3.59

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos $8.59 regularly, but on sale for $5.99.

Weekly sales are posted on The Natural’s Facebook page. 

Join us next week as we make our last stop on the health market circuit and explore an unknown commodity in Towson called The Health Concern.