Natural Grocers canceled plans to open a store in Jackson this past summer, but that didn’t stop the Colorado-based retailer from finding a new location for a third store in Wyoming.
It already has two locations, in Cheyenne and Casper. Its third, however, skips over Wyoming's next two largest communities.
Instead of Laramie or Gillette — both of which have solid populations of more than 30,000 people with higher wages and disposable incomes — the new store will be in Rock Springs, where it will land at the struggling White Mountain Mall.
Rock Springs has several things going for it besides population size (about 23,200) or a pool of well-off customers, Natural Grocers Director of Public Relations Katie Macarelli told Cowboy State Daily.
“While population size is certainly a factor when scouting for new locations, it’s not always the most significant driver,” she said in an email. “We also look at how well we can serve a community’s needs, which sometimes leads us to cities with smaller populations and fewer grocery options.”
Macarelli added the company remains optimistic about a Jackson Hole location one day and is continuing to look for properties there.
“Laramie and Gillette are both wonderful cities,” she added. “And we are not ruling them out by any means.
"We are excited to make our mark in Rock Springs and look forward to potentially expanding further in Wyoming.”
Rock Springs Is Golden
Golden is among the Colorado cities that have a Natural Grocers store and offers some parallels to Rock Springs, Macarelli said.
“Golden has a comparable population to Rock Springs,” she said. “And Rock Springs offers many of the same appealing qualities as Golden: a strong sense of community, a deep appreciation for the land and natural resources, and an abundance of outdoor activities.
"Additionally, it features a charming downtown area and ample room for growth, supported by city leaders and community members committed to its development.
The “welcome” vibe has also been quite warm, Macarelli added.
“This is a very encouraging sign,” she said. “We strongly believe that the residents of Rock Springs and the surrounding areas will value the high-quality products we offer at affordable prices, our commitment to consumer transparency and our exceptional customer service.
"We’re excited to become (the) neighborhood grocery store and look forward to opening our doors in Rock Springs soon.”
Still A Small Town
From Jackson to Rock Springs does seem like a bit of a leap for Natural Grocers to make.
Jackson lies in Teton County, the wealthiest in America. It’s a place where billionaires have been displacing millionaires.
To some, Natural Grocers showing up in a community might indicate a sign of gentrification starting to happen.
That’s the term for what happens when a substantial number of wealthy people move into an area, driving up market values.
Increased market values and greater purchasing power have economic consequences down the line.
It can push up prices for market goods, as well as boost property values and their corresponding property taxes, prompting people of less means to move to more affordable locations.
But gentrification doesn’t always have to reach a point where it displaces prior residents. If managed well, it can sometimes be a tool for urban renewal.
In the case of Rock Springs, residents aren’t seeing Natural Grocers as evidence that wealth is muscling its way into their town.
“We’re pretty well keeping a small community,” Rock Springs resident Sam Michel told Cowboy State Daily. “We’re not quite tiny like Green River, but a lot of our residents are really involved with healing each other as needed.
"We’re definitely not becoming another Jackson.”
Regional Growth Plan
The new Rock Springs store is part of a regional growth plan that Natural Grocers has begun.
While not a new company — it was founded in 1955 — there does seem to be new energy around the brand, which is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, and has 168 small-format stores in 21 states.
The retailer was just named the 2025 Retailer of the Year by Store Brands magazine, highlighting a successful private label assortment that includes more than 900 products marketed as “free from.”
That includes a host of ingredients many people have come to feel are problematic, while maintaining competitive pricing in the organic household goods and grocery sector.
For household cleaners, as just one example, the company maintains a list of 100 prohibited ingredients that won’t be found in any of its labels.
Consumers, according to Natural Grocers' most recent earnings call, are more and more prioritizing health and wellness, as well as sustainability issues. That’s opening the door for the brand to grow.
Last year, Natural Grocers opened two new stores and remodeled or expanded others.
This year it plans to open at least six to eight new stores in neighboring Western and Midwestern states, alongside two to three remodels.
Five new leases have already been signed, and negotiations are underway for five more, according to the company’s most recent earnings call.
In 2027, the brand intends to continue growing its footprint at a rate of 4% to 5%.
Exotic Fruits And Vegetables For The New Year
Michel is among those in Rock Springs looking forward to Natural Grocers' opening.
That’s because she’s made some “soft” resolutions to eat out less this year and make more fresh foods at home, something she believes Natural Grocers will help her achieve.
“I’m sure they’ll have like plenty of produce, and it would be nice if we had a wider selection of produce here,” she said. “Some exotic fruits and vegetables would be cool to see as well.”
Michel believes experimenting with those different, exotic ingredients will be just what she needs to make good on her resolutions for 2026.
Michel’s not the only Rock Springs resident interested in fresh organic foods.
There’s a rising interest in that trend, which Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency manager Chad Banks has seen as well.
“With downtown, we run our farmers market during the summer months,” he said. “So, we see a lot of interest in folks looking for those goods, knowing where they’re coming from and maybe having less preservatives.”
Farm Fresh Is Right Up Natural Grocers' Alley
Farm-raised meat and fresh eggs make common appearances at the farmers markets and seem right in line with Natural Grocers' offerings, which are marketed as antibiotic free, pasture-based, non-GMO products.
“Natural Grocers has a good selection of those things, at least in the stores I’ve been to in the past,” Banks said. “And I’m sure that, as we’ve seen more interest in that from the farmers market that we run in the summer, I’m sure that those will be some of the same folks that you see at Natural Grocers year-round.”
Freshly grown organic produce is what Tina Palmer is looking forward to when Natural Grocers opens in April.
She is the manager for the White Mountain Mall and has a bird's-eye view of work that the store is already engaged in to get ready for its grand opening.
“They’re doing all the things,” she said. “That used to be eight spaces and they’re turning it into one, so there’s been a lot of work in there.”
Palmer is originally from California. She loves Wyoming, but one of the things she’s been missing since she moved to Rock Springs has been a reliable source of organic produce and gluten-free grocery products.
“It will be really exciting to be able to pick up those items,” she said.
Rock Springs Has Regional Drawing Power
Another of the factors that may have ticked a box for Natural Grocers is the city's regional drawing power.
“We’re really sort of a regional shopping center in southwest Wyoming,” Banks said. “So, while our population is 25,000 or so, give or take, Green River is 10 minutes away, and that’s another 13,000, 14,000.
"And then you loop in places like Farson, Eden, and Pinedale — and down into Manila and McKinnon, Utah. We’re sort of that regional draw for those places.”
Many big-box stores tend to rely heavily on demographics like population, Banks acknowledged. But he believes it can cause them to overlook legitimate opportunities in the West.
“In a different state like Colorado or California, that drive time might be more important,” he said. “But for us in Wyoming, a drive time of an hour or two is not that big of a deal.”
Banks, too, is looking forward to having a new option in town for finding things, and he hopes it will give the town’s mall a boost.
White Mountain Mall was built in the 1970s and is one of just a handful of enclosed malls remaining in the state.
“Like a lot of malls, our mall has struggled,” he said. “The mall has seen some growth over the past few years.
"Ulta recently opened in the mall, and there was another localized store that opened there, and now Natural Grocers coming in. It’s nice to see refreshed new interest in the mall as well.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
