Cross Bros. Grocery
In my search for local, non-chain grocers I’ve found another remarkable one — Cross Brothers Grocery in Ashland. This year they are celebrating their 99th Anniversary.
Is everything they sell organic, free range, and/or local? No. Although they have some local produce and some local poultry, the vast majority of their merchandise is Richfood brand. But if you shop there, at least you’re not giving all of your money to huge, faceless megacorporations.
These are real people, nice people, and if you ask them where the sausage or the collards come from they’ll tell you with a smile. And you can tell them what you think. Try that at the Big Box Grocery store. Give them a visit. Browse some of the displays of hundred year-old dry goods, old-time radios, and other memorabilia. Some of us remember when every grocery store looked like Cross Bros.
Ellwood Thompson’s is still my store of choice, but there are times when I need to run out on lunch break and pick up something. It’s a waste of gas and time to go all the way to Carytown. Cross Bros. is half the distance, and a pleasant back-up.
Robert Mitchell Jr. 