Raw Market: ‘Together, We Thrive’

By Hannah Dillon

Associate Editor

 A red ribbon hung on the entrance to the Raw Market—just off Holmgren Ave. next to The Laundromall—as community members gathered around the store at 5 p.m.  July 2. When the ribbon was cut, a new local market officially opened in Girdwood.

Fresh vegetables on the shelf. (Photo by Hannah Dillon)

 People quickly entered the intimately-sized store once the doors were open. Aesthetic lighting and plants hovered overhead as customers sorted through bell peppers, chocolate milk glasses, candles, locally made pottery, dried herbs, cherries and aloe vera plants.

Behind the register, employees created delicious acai bowls and smoothies for everyone in need of a cool treat on a warm sunny day.

Michelle Young, who, along with her husband James Glover, owns the Raw Market sat down with Turnagain News to discuss opening day and a little history of the store.

Jars of dried herbs. (Photo by Hannah Dillon)

Young said the inspiration to establish a store like Raw Market stems from a visit to Maui, where nearly every small town had a juice bar that sold acai bowls, smoothies and juice. “We really loved the abundance of fresh food,” said Young.

Young’s experience with the fresh food available on the streets of Maui inspired Young and Glover to bring that experience to Girdwood.

Raw Market’s slogan, “together, we thrive,” Young said, “really embodies our mission… we want to be as community-oriented as possible. We want to be able to serve the community through providing things that they can't otherwise get here, or that they would normally have to go to Anchorage to get.”

Along with providing Girdwood an accessible variety of products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, soaps, plants, herbs, and artisan goods, Young said Raw Market is already planning an expansion on available products.

 Some of the food the owners plan to add to the shelf are house-made salads, nut milks, wellness lattes and, possibly, soup.

The Raw Market owners source their produce locally as much as possible. Some of their main suppliers include Charlie’s Produce and Di Tomasos. Another distributor is Arctic Harvest Deliveries. “They are a local foods distributor, so they gather up produce from different farms around the state and it's brought to a warehouse in Anchorage,” said Young.

Raw Market's slogan "Together, we Thrive." (Photo by Hannah Dillon)

Young said that active formation and remodeling of the Raw Market building began in 2020 but the building itself was originally a racquetball club in the 1980s and a thrift store soon before Raw Market found its space in Girdwood.

Without the support of family, friends and the Girdwood community, Young said she could not imagine where Raw Market would be as everyone has contributed to both the store and store owners.