MOM’s Organic Market is coming to Van Ness at 4250 Connecticut Avenue, the former Fannie Mae building now owned by UDC.
UDC’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the lease at their June 29th meeting, said Frenika Rivers, the executive secretary of the board. The contract’s details are still being finalized.
MOM’s told Forest Hills Connection that it will lease 16,000 square feet, and plans to open sometime in 2022. The square footage is consistent with most of its stores in the area. Giant Food occupies 25,000 square feet across the street at 4301 Connecticut Avenue.
“We believe NW Washington DC contains the most dense number of potential MOM’s customers than any other region in the US,” Scott Nash, MOM’s founder and CEO, said in a statement to Forest Hills Connection. “Finding a large enough space with ample parking to service these customers has been difficult, but after a long search and partnering with UDC, we are happy to report the search for a MOM’s store in this area is finally over!”
MOM’s focus on organic food and sustainability fits well with the UDC’s Urban Sustainability program, said Dwane Jones, the acting dean at UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Science.
“UDC is proud to partner with MOM’s Organic to continue to advance a Healthy City with Healthy People,” said Jones. “The MOM’s Organic mission to protect and restore the environment directly aligns with interests of the UDC community. This is a great beginning to a brighter future aimed at advancing community-focused economic, social, and environmental initiatives for residents of the District and beyond.”
MOM’s Organic Market was founded in 1987 as a home delivery business out of the then 22-year-old Scott Nash’s family’s garage. It has expanded to include ten stores in Maryland, five in Virginia, and one store in the District at 1501 New York Avenue, Northeast. There are also a handful of MOM’s stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
The stores feature 100% organic produce as well as organic beer and wine, organic house-made bread, and organic clothing. They encourage customers to bring their own containers for bulk products. And they encourage customers to drop off food scraps for composting and items including eyeglasses, cellphones, shoes and household batteries for recycling.
