Breaking: Glen’s Garden Market Sold!!

2001 S Street, NW

Thanks to all who passed on from Glen’s:

“I wanted to reach out to share some news that impacts our relationship. Do not fret, my friends, you’re not going to lose your neighborhood grocery store (the team made it through the pandemic safe and sound), things are just about to change a bit around here — for the better, ultimately. I’ll be leaving the company (in excellent hands) this summer.

As you know, I opened Glen’s Garden Market on Earth Day of 2013, because I’d given up on Congress and knew we could make more climate progress together than they would in the meantime. And over the course of nearly a decade, we’ve made a whole lot of progress — one bite at a time. We put the environment first in our decisions, from the products we supported together to our careful waste streaming practices and our joint efforts to eliminate food waste. We launched almost 100 local, sustainable food companies of which over 60 were founded by women and more than 20 are owned by people of color. Our space often felt more like an activated community center than a grocery store. In short, we did what we set out to do.

As I began reflecting on what it meant to step into the last year of our first decade (which we did on Earth Day), three realizations set in: (1) we still have a lot of work left to do, (2) I needed to do everything in my power to hold my team together, and (3) I needed to position the store to thrive indefinitely — for our producers and for you, our community. However, our lease expires next summer, and for a series of reasons, I wasn’t going to be able to renew it.

And so, last month, I sold Glen’s to a long-time independent, specialty grocer with one other store in the area, who sees the world the way I do.

He prioritizes the environment, community and local sourcing in his business decisions. He’s an excellent grocer with decades of experience, who will keep the store open (though under a different name: Dawson’s Market) for years and years to come. And, most importantly to me, he’ll keep my entire team employed at their current pay rates — which was the cornerstone of our deal. This transition will also ensure that we’re able to pay every single one of our producers, in full, before I officially pass the torch later this summer (something that wasn’t foregone as we struggled through the pandemic, but was critically important to me, second only to keeping my team safe and employed).

As abrupt as this may seem, please trust that it’s the product of years’ worth of careful consideration. I enter into this transition with absolute confidence that Dawson’s will serve Dupont well. Please know I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you for your trust, your support, your willingness to allow me to learn how to do this job in broad daylight, and your dedication to the Good Food movement. In the early days, you showed up and pretended this was a real grocery store and waited patiently until we became one. You let us figure it all out right here in front of you, one product and process at a time (and you helped us through the stickiest spots). Our success was your success and our struggles were your struggles. You took our endurance personally, and we felt that in the best possible way. You forgave me when I stumbled and cheered us on when we succeeded. You brought your friends, you shared our space, and we made a whole lot of progress together. You were our champions and our fan club, and building that relationship was the honor of my lifetime. Thank you.

Your fan,
Danielle”