Walking into Earth Origins in Ocala feels less like entering a grocery store and more like stepping…read moreback into my childhood. Long before Whole Foods existed... before wellness influencers... before every grocery store suddenly discovered "organic"... my parents owned health food stores in California and New York during the 1970s and 80s, back when most Americans barely understood what a health food store was. I grew up carrying whole wheat, avocado, mayo and sprout sandwiches in my lunchbox when other kids had processed snacks and white bread. My mother was giving health and nutritional talks decades ago and still does to this day. The funny part is the kids at school loved my avocado sprout sandwiches so much that they would trade me their Twinkies for them. Twinkies were absolutely a no-no in our household, which of course made them feel like pure treasure whenever I could get my hands on one... even though I knew they were terrible for me. Healthy living wasn't a trend in our household. It was simply the way we lived. And contrary to what people think now, this knowledge is not new. Ancient cultures understood the connection between food, health, longevity and lifestyle long before modern America rediscovered it and turned it into branding. Tibet is a perfect example. Entire cultures have understood preventative wellness and intentional living for centuries. Back then, health food stores were different. They were deeply personal places. Independent. Passion-driven. Families built them around education, community, and a genuine belief in helping people live healthier lives. Then the industry began to change. During the 1980s and 90s, large corporations started buying up independent health food stores across America. Chains like GNC expanded aggressively through acquisitions, converting many small family-owned stores into standardized retail locations. In fact, GNC actually bought one of my parents' stores years ago and turned it into a GNC. Later, companies like Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, and major investment groups helped transform what had once been deeply local, community-driven businesses into national chains built around scale, branding, and mass-market wellness. That's why Earth Origins still feels special to me. It still carries echoes of the old Mother Earth health food store that once existed here in Ocala. The scent in the air... the supplement aisles... the atmosphere... even the energy of the store instantly brought me back to childhood memories of standing inside my parents' stores decades ago. There's something comforting about walking into a place that still feels connected to the original spirit of the health food movement before it became mainstream. For me, Earth Origins doesn't just feel like shopping. It feels like home.

I was meaning to stop here for months after moving to the area and finally made myself go during an…read moreerrand run. I have been here several times over the years. I have shopped here so specific items and also just to browse. Since we do not have a Whole Foods or Fresh Market, and Sprouts is on the other side of town, Earth Origins is the next best thing. I have been exploring plant based products for the last couple of years and attempting the more holistic route so Earth Origins definitely assists with that. I will say, the prices are astronomical for many products but reasonable for other products. The produce department is super small, with only organic options, and not many options for vegetables or fruits. They have a small salad bar, which is measured by the pound. There is also a hot soup bar, with I think 2 options but they close that early-maybe around 5pm? There is also a deli/ seafood/ sushi counter where you can purchase a la carte items, with premade options already packaged for grab and go. They also have ramen you can order! Next is a bulk area with a huge selection of nuts, coffee, seeds, legumes, snacks, etc. I finally purchased some during my last visit. I was a little slow in figuring it out. You put the items in a bag, then tie it with a wire tag, then write the UPC code # on the tag so the cashier can type it in. There is also fresh nut butters and honey and pastries in the same area. There are aisles of dry goods, supplements, vitamins, personal care, snacks, beverages, and treats. There is also a small wine section, with a lot of local wines. Lined up against the back of the store and the last aisle are refrigerated and freezer items. I always purchase items in the area! If you join their membership, you receive special deals daily. If you bring your own bags, you receive a 5 cent discount.

Update: To add to the earlier review and further insult to injury; upon my family and I noticing…read morethat the chews were becoming harder and harder and not having the usual great ginger taste, I come to find out by starting to look at the individual wrappings, that they are unbelievably expired since 2019, so not only does this very dishonest business want to inflate their prices & profits at will yet they disgracefully want to sell the consumer past and expired product as well.

a great place for anything you need for your health, employees are so helpful and knowledgeable.read more

This is my go to place for Apples, vitamins, and unscented Alba Organic Body Lotion…read more OH.... and also ... Agave Nectar.

I was so excited to finally visit Sprouts! It's about a 35 minute drive from my home so I waited…read moreuntil I had my endo appointment nearby. Upon entering, I was so shocked to see the store was smaller in size than I imagined. I cannot even recall if I have been to a Sprouts location prior to this visit. I arrived around 5pm on a Friday. Surprisingly, the store was not busy or crowded. I was also surprised to notice many of the customers were older. I decided to browse aisle by aisle since this was my first time visiting. I picked up some items that were on BOGO, which I had previously planned to possible purchase because I have an existing Sprouts account. I love that there were samples in wellness aisles and you were limited to 2 per individual. When I was browsing the beverages, I noticed a can was almost 2 months expired. I usually see this at Publix but did not expect here. The more customers coming in as I shopped and I noticed some of the aisles were really narrow so it was difficult to shop and browse. This shortened the remainder of my visit. The bakery section had an abundance of assorted items and many on clearance due to expiration. I was sad that many of the vegan refrigerated foods were out of stock and not a lot of vegan prepared foods, which I was shocked about. Next and last task: checking out. I decided to do the self checkout and was offered assistance several times by employees, which I also declined. Maybe they receive a commission if they check a customer out or something? It was a little annoying. Otherwise, the store was clean and tidy and there was plenty of parking.

Very clean store. Easy to get to via mall entrance but even closer from the macys entrance…read more What I loved is that you can buy online and go pick it up in store. I don't know how long they will be running this deal, but I saved 10% by buying online and picking it up in the store. What a great deal! The guy behind the counter was nice and knowledgeable and he had my order ready to go. It's really great that the website tells you if the item you're looking for is available for pick up. I would shop and pick up here again.

Pointless. Created a fake label for my order. GNC is just failing in good customer service…read more Especially the privately owned locations. Going elsewhere, they must not realize that there are multiple retailers out there. This happened already from other locations. Good luck with that.

Nothing to complain about as each time I have been here after a workout at the gym close by the…read moreservice has been good and my protein smoothie was prepared as ordered. It's good in a pinch if you need a healthy meal supplement and know it will be a while until you get home to eat.

I always get the peanut plus gladiator ! And it's Always sooooooo good and the ladies there are…read morealways super sweet leaving you a message for your day

Hey Yelpers, Edie is officially open at the new location! Put in your charcuterie orders with…read moreconfidence. The new address is 4423 NW Blichton Rd, Ocala FL. It's next to the Ocala Antique Mall in the same shopping center as Gold's Gym. You can send your European cheese loving friends, bread snobs and foodie gift seekers to this lady. I'm not in Ocala except for the winter equestrian season, but a friend there reports she is OBSESSED with the charcuterie boards Edie is sending out for catering orders. I'll have to wait till January to sit here with the pefect green salad and scratch dijon viaigrette. Ya'll enjoy this gem in the meantime.

Amazing food the best homemade bread. The soups are homemade…read more And amazing. There is a shop for some unique Items like hand painted glassesfiv Etc. eat and shop. Win win.