Nature's Oasis Brings Together Local And Healthy

Over the past several years Lakewood has become a key player in both the local food movement and the independent restaurant scene here in Northeast Ohio. As of just last week, there is now a new kid in town that brings together the best of both of those worlds under one roof - Nature's Oasis. The double storefront on Detroit Road just west of downtown Lakewood is one part cafe, one part marketplace, both with the aim of supporting local purveyors and producers of all natural, healthy food.

Owner Elliott Endsley, has created a bright, inviting space that can be seen from the street through the large picture windows spanning the width of the cafe. The industrial modern decor is punctuated with cheerful green metal chairs, copious amounts of reclaimed wood, and metal caged edison bulb light fixtures. The cafe feels spacious, offering patrons plenty of room to sit and enjoy anything from a cup of coffee (roasted locally and available as drip or pour-over) with a (locally baked) pastry to hot soup (which you can also sometimes buy and take home with you from the freezer section) to a sandwich (made on Breadsmith bread). As one might expect based on my description thus far, the cafe menu, as well as the market, take into account a variety of dietary restrictions, making it easy to find something for everyone to eat. That includes, as my omniverous husband was glad to hear, meat.

The market itself fills out the back quarter of the space and stays true to the industrial modern theme with distressed open wood and metal shelving units, which on my visit only days after their official opening, were remarkably well stocked. Signs on the realtively few empty shelves encouraged customers to share any suggestions for additional products they would like to see made available in the future. Again focused on small businesses, primarily in Northeast Ohio, many of the brands will be familiar to those that frequent local farmer's markets in the summer months. And for those brands that are less well known to Lakewoodites, detailed signage about the locally made products and their origins are clearly displayed with the aim of not only selling more product, but also strengthening these small businesses in the area.

One name that many Lakewoodites will be particularlly excited to see shortly is that of Nature's Bin/Cornucopia. With the recently annouced closing of Nature's Bin's retail location, Nature's Oasis has already secured a partnership with the caterning side of the Bin's operation to continue to provide an outlet for some of their most popular pre-made items that had previously been available behind the deli/bakery counter.

Nature's Oasis is located at 15613 Detroit Avenue, next to Jammy Buggars, and is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Volume 12, Issue 23, Posted 3:38 PM, 11.09.2016