Indie Innovators: A Q&A With The Goods Mart’s Rachel Krupa
By Greg Lindenberg on Jul. 18, 2018SILVER LAKE, Calif. -- As a child, Rachel Krupa loved going to convenience stores for treats. As she grew up and her tastes evolved along healthier lines, she realized she was always settling for “mediocre, preservative-filled fare” at c-stores. Rather than continue compromising, she opened The Goods Mart.
She also runs Krupa Consulting, a public-relations agency that focuses on food and wellness brands. So it’s no surprise that she created a c-store concept that curates products made with natural ingredients, including no artificial, flavors, sweeteners or growth hormones and only humanely raised animal proteins that are nitrate-, antibiotic- and GMO-free.
- CSP named Krupa one of its 2018 "indie innovators." Click here for more and to see who else made the list.
Here are more details in a Q&A with Krupa. …
Photo courtesy of The Goods Mart.
‘Why am I compromising?’
Q: What inspired you to create this retail concept?
A: I absolutely love convenience stores and gas stations. When I was growing up, we stopped into the local Sunoco station for milk, eggs and toilet paper, and I always tossed in candy or a popsicle. Later, as I began to learn about ingredients and my own tastes evolved, I found that nearly all mini-marts were limited. I thought, “Why am I compromising?”
The answer was The Goods Mart.
Being in the food and wellness space, I was inspired by what my clients were doing—giving back; providing food education; letting the best ingredients shine; and building community around better-for-you, better-for-planet products. I saw that no one was revamping the convenience stores I loved as a kid in a way that flowed with the magic that’s happening in the food industry right now. I thought someone should do it, and that someone is me.
I'd like to reinvent the globally scaled c-store concept by featuring socially conscious and better-for-you brands combined with a focus on sustainability. My goal is to create on-trend, health-conscious stores by capturing the momentum in the natural food and lifestyle space.
Photo courtesy of Gregg Segal.
Winning ‘ugly’
Q: What is The Goods Mart like, and what does it offer?
A: In the 1970s, the store was a drive-thru mini mart, so we’ve kept the same odd shape and interesting bones of the building. The interior is around 800-square-feet, and we have a lush, outdoor jungle sitting area.
We also offer our customers “ugly,” cosmetically challenged fruit that is actually more delicious. Our drip coffee program is incredible in flavor and price point, featuring La Colombe for only $1.25 per cup. And we’re bringing slushies back, but organically. We have curated a selection of products that are made with quality, natural ingredients.
Even though we’re not fully organic, everything meets our ethos of no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners; no growth hormones or hormone disruptors; only humanely raised animal proteins that are nitrate-, antibiotic- and GMO-free; no harmful pesticides; reduced use of plastics (BPA-free only); exclusively organic cottons; “always better” packaging; and transparency.
Photo courtesy of The Goods Mart.
‘The Good Smart’
Q: What is the significance of the store’s name and how did you come up with it?
A: The Goods Mart name started from the idea of a store containing “goods,” like “we’ve got the goods,” but then as the concept evolved, we shaped it into focusing on doing good. So it manifested a double meaning.
It can also be read as “The Good Smart,” as in, choosing smartly for you, your family, the environment and others. It’s about accessibly, community building, supporting local growers and food education.
Photo courtesy of The Goods Mart.
Goods Mart gives back
Q: What differentiates The Goods Mart from other c-stores or anywhere else?
A: We have eliminated all single-serve plastic bottles from our store. Every little bit helps.
The Goods Mart also gives back; we utilize the tip function on Square, our front-of-house system, to give back to a local charity each month and donate all of our products that are expired or about to expire.
Photo courtesy of Gregg Segal
The elusive lid
Q: What are the biggest challenges you faced with The Goods Mart?
A: We face many of the same challenges other stores face such as inventory management, sourcing and onboarding talent; however, a unique challenge we have taken on is minimizing plastics and using compostable products throughout our drinks, including our coffees, slushies and cold brew. As a result, we’re still looking for the ever so elusive compostable lid for cold drinks.
Photo courtesy of The Goods Mart
Small tweaks
Q: Have there been any surprises? Any tweaks or changes you’ve had to make to The Goods Mart since its launch?
A: The biggest surprise has been that people love smaller options. We can’t keep our 8-ounce cups in stock. People see the smaller size cups as portion control and less waste. Sometimes you just want a little of something, and in our culture, everything is supersized. Our guests are also thrown off by our use of any-cup-for-anything model.
Photo courtesy of Gregg Segal
Customers are neighbors
Q: How would you describe your core customers and their needs?
A: Our customers are our neighbors. Most walk to the store and pick up what they need for the day. They come in for coffee in the morning and then for our packaged food for dinner. Sometimes, they swing by after dinner for a pint of McConnell’s Ice Cream or an ice cream sandwich. We have a lot of young couples with children (our slushies are a reward for a lot of children in the area) and neighbors who have lived in Silver Lake for more than 30 years.
Photo courtesy of Gregg Segal
L.A. and beyond
Q: What are your plans for the coming year, and for growth?
A: We plan to open at least two more locations this year, one in Los Angeles and one in another city.
We’re also going to expand our community involvement by starting more product demos and neighborhood dinners.
Photo courtesy of Gregg Segal