Rainbow's End?

As lazy organic foods shoppers who don't like to walk any farther than we have to, Seattlest is perturbed by the rumors that Rainbow Natural Grocery on 15th Avenue East has a cloudy future. We've seen for ourselves that shelves aren't getting restocked, and we hear that employee paychecks sometimes don't pay out. Something ain't right.

It's not hard to guess that the trifecta of a new Safeway and Trader Joe's on Madison Street, and Madison Market have been putting a dent in the Rainbow's pot of gold. As organic enters the mainstream, independent natural foods stores have had to reinvent themselves to survive -- catering to niches and providing the local touch that supermarkets can't -- while dealing with growing competition from farmer's markets and community supported agriculture.

And what about the juice bar in Rainbow, asks Smoothie Jones? The potential human cost here is high, very high. If you haven't been by the Rainbow lately, now might be a good time to drop in.