Plum Market is finally open. I know as I drove by Olde Orchard square, at the south east corner of Orchard Rd and Maple, I doubted they would meet the deadline posted on the sign. I moved to the area mid 2006, at which time, there was talk of Papa Joes moving to the abandoned Farmer Jack. Of course, that never happened. Then word of Plum Market opening there surfaced. Opening a Plum Market at Olde Orchard seemed kind of odd to me, given they have a location down the street on Maple around Cranbrook Rd.

I received the direct mail marketing coupons the week prior to the opening. So, my family and I decided to check it out on opening day, which was May 7th. We arrived around 10 am and could barely find a parking spot. There was a line out the door! They even temporarily ran out of grocery carts! A truck with a shipment of nice 2 tiered carts arrived within five minutes of the delay and all shopping carried on.

The store generated so much excitement from all the patrons. If you haven’t been in a Plum Market, I equate it to something like Whole Foods, plus regular merchandise you might find in a store like Hiller’s or even Meijer’s (but not as large). They had samples galore! The soups were amazing, flat bread stone pizza hot out of the oven, even desserts from the brownie and truffle counters were available.

Pricing seems decent on most items. They have some amazing deals to get patrons though. I do not work for Plum Market, obviously, I am busy selling houses, but I was impressed. We all got a specialized hand bag with our purchase as well. It was actually so much fun, we all went back the next day to see if there was still a buzz. And, while parking was easier the second day, the store was still packed.

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with all the major specialty stores so close: Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Hiller’s and now Plum Market. I hope that our economy will be able to support them all, as I feel each place offers something a little different. Living in the quadrant that carries all these stores is fantastic. I certainly do not envy my friends who have to drive thirty minutes to find one of these stores.