The secret to happiness might just be a well-curated grocery store.
Over a year ago, Happier Grocery, cofounded by fashion veteran Wells Stellberger who was at Marc Jacobs for many years, opened up shop on Canal Street in New York City. Now, it’s gone viral several times over, as wellness enthusiasts flock to the store. According to the team, the business took off this summer, in particular. The grocery itself features floors of carefully curated, health-forward products across categories including food and beverage, fashion, home supplies, beauty, wellness, literature and more. The assortment is constantly evolving based on the season, what’s new and what customers are gravitating toward.
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“We’ve been in New York for a decent amount of time, about 20 years. Having lived and breathed the city, we started seeing areas that we tended to gravitate toward or were inspired by, like a Lifetime or Hu Kitchen when it was open,” Stellberger said. “We felt it would be interesting to understand what we were inspired by…and envision how that could come together more comprehensively into a grocery store.”
What seems to be catapulting the store’s success, aside from the hot bar that people flock to daily for healthy, seed oil-free meals, is the level of curation customers can expect.
“One of our biggest passions is trying to always be searching and looking for new things that would be interesting and pique curiosity,” Stellberger said. “That’s a cornerstone for us, that discovery part and being able to open that dialogue and have people come into the store and constantly see new things.”
While customers normally head to a grocery store with a strict list, most customers are heading to Happier Grocery asking associates for recommendations, in the mood to explore. That being said, there are, of course, some bestsellers, according to Stellberger.
“What is pretty consistent for us is the juices, nut butters, nut milks and prepared foods,” he said.
As far as a favorite brand or product he has discovered, Stellberger can’t choose. It’s like picking a favorite child.
“That’s a tough one because there’s a lot of brands that we’re constantly discovering that [we’re] like, ‘Oh my gosh, the story of this brand is amazing,’” he said.
While the Happier Grocery team is going out of their way to highlight smaller brands and products via rigorous curation, they have taken it a step further hosting Founder Fridays, when brand founders come in and talk to customers, offer samples and ultimately foster a sense of community. Husband-and-wife duo and AndRepeat founders Jayme Cyk and Ben Rabb are two of the latest to join the Happier Grocery family.
According to Cyk, prior to pitching their supplement to the retailer’s team, they were drawn in by Happier Grocery’s product assortment.
“It’s very hard to find places where you can discover new beauty,” she said. “Not since Barneys [New York] has there been a fun place to play and discover in a different way.”
Earlier this month, Cyk and Rabb were at the retailer for one of their Founder Friday events.
“It was pretty energizing, especially as this is our first retailer,” Cyk said. “We got to have conversations that we probably would have never had otherwise.”
Rabb added: “It was a good opportunity for us to be able to share the actual [brand] story.”
As Happier Grocery has continued to gain momentum on TikTok, more are calling it the Erewhon of New York City, comparing the two grocers’ prepared foods, smoothies, hot bar and wellness and beauty assortment.
“They both have a curated selection of everything on their shelf, so it’s a natural comparison,” Rabb said.
However, for Cyk and Rabb, who are Los Angeles-based but previously lived in New York City, there are some key differences. For starters, Happier Grocery isn’t a tourist destination in the same way Erewhon is now. Plus, according to Rabb’s conversations with the Happier Grocery team, most customers are coming in seeking recommendations, further emphasizing the brand’s ethos around in-store discovery.
Although grocery is in the name, the store itself goes far beyond that moniker with a flower shop, apparel and sunglasses line, collaborations with fashion brands like Dover Street Market and a room dedicated to rare or specialty magazines and books. In addition, Happier Grocery has its own line of food-based products, which is constantly expanding, and includes chocolates, eggs, nuts, milks and juices.
“Living in New York, there’s so many dimensions to everyone’s lives.…Someone who’s interested in food and nutrition may also be interested in literature and art and publications and obviously health and beauty,” Stellberger said. “[We want to] celebrate the diversity of an individual.”
He emphasized that a customer should be able to do their “foundational shopping,” while also discovering something new each visit.
In addition the store gets a little more niche than a typical chain grocery store might. For example, there’s a whole section dedicated to different types of water, many of which one might not recognize from their go-to store.
According to Stellberger, expansion isn’t necessarily the focus right now.
“We’re trying to focus on the in-store customer experience,” he said. “[We want to] get our operational foundation strong and from there, then look to see what would make sense next.”
