Vim & Vigor

This is a very odd location for this store. Not to mention inventory and selection seems very limited. They don’t have a lot of products, seems like theres more space than shelves. The staff was friendly.
They do have a deli where I got a chicken salad wrap and soup which were good. But the wait was long and a bit pricey.
They do sell vibrams here.
Parking is validated.
I don’t know how long this place will stay open. It’s never busy when I come here. ^_^*~

Stopped by Vim & Vigor after a quick trip to my optometrist’s office. The place looks like it’s getting ready to close up! They closed off an entrance and removed their refrigeration units. Pretty much the stock is half what it was a year ago. That’s a little disappointing because this used to be a neat place to find stuff like grass fed beef from Kulani on the Big Island and was also home to the best acai bowl I’ve had outside of Brazil.
They must really be shutting down because when I asked for an acai cup the gal told me they were out. I’ll be sad to see this place go, but I really only came here when I had to go to Newtown Center anyway (my dentist and optometrist are in the building). The center entrance/​exit off Kaahumanu is just too tough to get into with all the cars trying to get up to the H1 and the parked cars blocking your view of oncoming traffic.
I would not be surprised to find this place closed the next time I visit one of my docs.

The name «Vim & Vigor» conjures up images of 1920’s geriatric patients downing shots of snake oil. But despite sounding like a V-​wonder drug distribution center, this brand new recently relocated specialty store revives the old Elephant & Castle space with some choice healthful selections.
The larger than you’d expect retail space, is bright, clean, and well laid out. The staff noted that fresh organic produce, meats, and deli sandwiches are on their way. I love the half-​carts (Star Market Mililani used to have these till they mysteriously disappeared, wasn’t me… seriously).
While I only took a cursory pass through, I liked the selections of chips, cereals, sauces, pastas, and frozen goods. It made me reminisce about shopping at Trader Joe’s on the mainland (unfortunately they’ll never come here). Prices were a bit high, but it’s expected when trying to shop healthfully.
A few items I was stoked to find:
–a good variety of Annie’s pasta
–Puffins, peanut butter cereal
–Alexia Oven Reds, frozen olive oil parmesan rosemary flavored red potatoes that are easy to bake (I don’t know why Costco stopped carrying these)
–Pints of the ah-​mazing CIAO BELLA sorbetto and gelato
I’d been searching for little market where I can pick up fresh local ingredients, so I’m crossing my fingers on this one (will update this in a few weeks). The staff was notably friendly, and seemed to genuinely take my suggested food items into consideration.
While not worth a drive from town (there’s already one there), Vim & Vigor Foods might overcome it’s dated name and prove itself a worthy contender in the Aiea/​Pearl City neighborhood health food arena.
***update 03/​22/​08***
tried a couple more things that we really liked:
–Tofutti cuties (non-​dairy Chocolate snack sized Ice Cream Sandwiches)
–Annie’s Creamy Deluxe Elbows & Four Cheese… this stuff costs a lot more than Kraft, but it’s made with real cheese (not mystery chemicals), doesn’t require milk or butter, and tastes way better. No it won’t rival anyone’s homemade from scratch, but when you need instant, this is the way to go… www​.annies​.com/​d​e​l​u​x​e​m​a​c​a​n​d​c​heese