Vegetarian food outlet returns to West Plains

If you go

ABC Christian Bookstore and Vegetarian Food Outlet, 3715 S. Grove Road, is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. From Spokane, head west on Interstate 90 and take exit 276 (Geiger Boulevard). Turn left, cross over the freeway and turn left at the first driveway. Call (509) 838-3168.

At the end of a long driveway tucked away in the woods just west of downtown Spokane, the ABC Christian Bookstore and Vegetarian Food Outlet has reopened. The store is on the campus of the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, headquarters for the administrative offices of the church. In 2008, the whole campus burned down and the store had been operating at a temporary location in Spokane Valley for the past 2 1/2 years.

“This is our new store in our old location,” explains store employee Candy Minden. “Even though we’re an Adventist store, we are open to anyone that wants a healthy lifestyle,” she says. The ABC store is one of about 50 or 60 stores nationwide operated by the church, according to store manager Herman Schreven. The store closest to Spokane is in Walla Walla.

The majority of the store’s footprint is dedicated to books, but for its modest size the vegetarian food outlet offers an impressive selection of items.

One wall is dedicated to refrigerated and frozen vegetarian foods, with over a dozen flavors of meatless burgers, entrees, cold cuts and sausages. Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger and Quorn are a few of the brands represented, and products are available individually or by the case. You’ll find frozen pizza and “chicken” cutlets alongside more unusual items like vegetarian tuna and imitation duck, which is one of the store’s best-selling products.

Dry goods include vegan seasonings and soup mixes, alcohol-free wine, cereals and vegetarian entrees. Bakers will find bulk supplies of organic wheat and oats, as well as gluten-free cake mixes and packages of vegan carob chips and marshmallows. There’s a good selection of healthy snacks, including dried fruit, trail mix, Barbara’s cookies, 12 kinds of meatless jerky and several flavors of carob cookies.

Often new shoppers come in after seeing a movie like “Food, Inc.” or reading about an event like mad cow disease that challenges their thinking about the foods they eat, says Schreven. Some suffer from food allergies, others want to make a change in their diets and don’t know where to start. The ABC store carries a wide assortment of cookbooks and other books helpful to anyone interested in pursuing a vegetarian diet or learning more about eating for optimal health. There’s also a section of nutritional supplements like brewer’s yeast and activated charcoal, which is known for its healing properties.

One shopper, Ron Roush, shops at the ABC store for its unique selection of products. “It’s so trendy to be healthy, but most places focus on mainstream products,” says Roush, who likes the selection of vegan and vegetarian goods at the store. Some products, like Clear Jel thickening agent used for canning, Roush just can’t find at any other retail store in the area.

“We try to have the best price, or have something that no one else carries. That’s our niche,” says Schreven. The store is a nonprofit mission of the church and prices can be significantly lower than other retail stores. “If you buy a case, it will be 30 percent to 40 percent less than retail,” says Schreven. Lentils, split peas and rice are all available in 25 pound bags at prices substantially lower than smaller quantities purchased at the supermarket and items like tofu milk and vegetarian chili are available at discounted case prices.

“Basically, the food appeals to a wide spectrum from conservative Christian vegetarians to new-age ultraliberals – we get them all,” says Schreven. He estimates that 60 percent of the shoppers are Seventh-day Adventists, and the rest are not affiliated with the church but just interested in pursuing a healthy lifestyle. “There’s a connection between your health and your ability to absorb spiritual things,” he says. “The church encourages a vegetarian diet for health reasons.”

The store is having a fall sale through the end of October with discounts on cases of selected canned and frozen items.

This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return to Home Page

Vegetarian, Raw and Vegan with Bill & Sheila

Recent stories in Food

• Shake recipe a winner October 12, 2011
  
• Apple Pie Cake good as snack, warm dessert October 12, 2011
  
• Gluten-free options October 12, 2011
  
• Brownie blitz October 12, 2011
  
• OK, now it’s time for Apple Pie Cake October 12, 2011