Pioneering Organic Food Store to Close

@velvetelvis_com: I have worked for Nature Mart since I was 12 years old. I am very sorry to see it go. #losfeliz

Tweets like this one are typical over the past week.

Yes, after 38 years, Nature Mart is shutting down after “losing its lease.”

The beloved purveyor of all things organic—including wheatgrass juice—is going to be replaced by an outlet of a chain from Camarillo, Lassen’s—at least according to some speculation.

Nature Mart wouldn't comment officially on its successor.

Founder Matt E. Huupponen will continue operating his Tundra Trading, a wholesale online supplier of organic products, from a location in Glendale.

Nature Mart Has Shaped Generations

Nature Mart is located in Los Feliz on Hillhurst Avenue.

But it rises to the level of our attention because of its impact on several generations of healthy eaters in and around Eagle Rock.

For decades it was one of the few L.A. outposts for organic produce and mom-and-pop organic products.

It’s also been a place where you could buy spices and grains—especially quinoa and buckwheat—in bulk and sip a custom-crafted juice concoction made right before your eyes.

Selective shoppers seemed stunned by the news. Architect and product designer Roger Nanagita, who has shopped at Nature Mart for years, considers Nature Mart a convenient destination that stocks the products he needs.

November 1 Deadline to Close

Nature Mart must be out of its building by Nov. 1 so a new tenant can take over.

The word about the change first went out last week when Nature Mart began selling everything in the store and jucie bar at a 25 percent discount.

When we stopped by on October 17, many shelves were almost bare. The bulk bins in the juice bar were picked pretty clean too.

Longtime juice bar manager Gustavo Gonzalez brewed up a wheatgrass juice shot for us. He said business has been brisk, with one last wheatgrass order in the offing.

Gonzalez said he came to work at Nature Mart because he needed a job. But now he’s a believer, and drinks wheatgrass and eats organic produce.

As for many others, Nature Mart has changed his life. He's now wondering what he'll do next when the store closes.

Fans Organize Facebook Group

If you want to keep up with what's going on with Nature Mart, there's now a Facebook group. They’re organizing a Halloween party at the store and otherwise keeping tabs on things.

Click here for the link.

This story is part of Patch's nationwide series " Tell us what issues and what stories in Eagle Rock go to the heart of your American Dream. Please contact editor Ajay Singh at ajay.singh@patch.com.