Boulder, CO—Alfalfa’s Market was once one of the nation’s foremost natural products retailers, before it was acquired by Wild Oats Markets in 1996 (which merged with Whole Foods Market in 2007).

On June 21, A-M Holdings, LCC (founded by Alfalfa’s original owners), received approval from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to acquire its original Boulder location from Whole Foods Market. The attainment is a result of years of negotiation in which the FTC ordered Whole Foods to dissociate from several stores acquired during the Wild Oats merger. Alfalfa’s Market will also receive the name and intellectual property of the original store.

According to Alfalfa’s co-founder Mark Retzloff, “We wanted to build on the fond memories and nostalgia of the old Alfalfa's, but modernize it and bring it into the 21st century, and make a true hometown community market for the people of Boulder—featuring local area products, staffing with locals who have significant experience in natural and organic foods and being a part of the fabric of the Boulder community…we also hope to incorporate some of the hard-to-find culinary features we've seen in other countries.”

The store will reopen in 2011.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, August 2010 (published June 28 ahead of print)