Mill Valley General Store

This place is great! This is the kinda of quaint places that makes baltimore baltimore. Nice fresh food, real sense of community amongst shoppers. They have spices that I’ve never seen before. This is the place for the experimental cook.

This is the natural foods place I’ve been looking for since moving to Charles Village a year ago. What has taken me so long?! They’ve got bulk bins of spices, nuts, beans, dried fruit, coffees, all sorts of tea. They’ve got a great produce area and fresh breads and other baked goods. I can do my entire week’s shopping here. The only negative thing is that they’re open only Thurs-​Sun. But that’s okay– I’ll do my shopping on the weekends.

I am so glad I ran across this place! I was coming home one day and saw a painted wooden sign outside stating «apple cider» one day, so I pulled over. I’d been curious for some time about what was housed I’m the building. When I walked in, I found heaven. Bulk grains, dried fruit, sugar, flour, breadc rumbs, etc. Local produce like apples, squashes, green things, garlic. Eggs and dairy products. Then there’s the organic foods from all over. And the organic canned and frozen goods… and local frozen meats. Coffee. Honey. Some things are pricier in the typical way organic foods are but there’s plenty of things that are way cheaper than usual (my husband goes wild for the price and variety of apples from Westminster, md). It is so nice to have such a place so close and convenient. It is my go to place when I’m low on staples particularly on the weekends.

I would love to be able to update this someday to 5 stars, as I’m absolutely a supporter of what the MVGS is trying to do. But, it is a very small store. You could get all your food here if you were a simple cook who only wanted to use what was available/​in season. But the selection is quite limited. It also does not appear that all of the produce is organic, though much of it is.
That said, the high point by far is the bulk foods, which I’m pleased to see they brought back out to the main shelves. Our family is trying to be more conscious about producing trash, as even recycling consumes energy. So a good solution is to buy as much food in bulk as possible (we use reusable muslin bags instead of the plastic ones). I do not know of any other store in Baltimore with the bulk selection these guys have. They also have fair-​trade coffee that is very good. And the milk from PA and VA that comes in reusible glass bottles which we are huge fans of.
We plan to buy a half-​share from One Straw Farm this year (last year’s full share was too much) and pick it up here, which I think will work very well.
I hope they succeed and expand slowly. My understanding is that a previous, more ambitious co-​op concept failed, so I understand why they would be a bit cautious.

I really love this place. I get my produce year-​round from Mill Valley. I pick up my CSA from there, as well as make myself a part of their buying club in the winter. They have a ton of local and high-​quality meat. They also have a great bulk foods section. Although it’s a bit pricey, it makes sense for the quality and the realistic buying power they have as a small business. It gels with my values.

Lived on 27^th, and this place was my go-​to for whole groceries. Also, the man and woman that work here, perhaps spouses, are kind individuals who are almost over-​eager to help you. Unique place.

After an attempt at a food co-​op, the Mill Valley general store is back. They carry local organic produce, local organic milk, local organic meat, some locally made bread and the only place in the area that carries organic eggs ($ 3 a dozen for large eggs). So this is a great place to go if you can’t make it over to the farmer’s market.
In addition to produce, there is a stock of organic dry goods, a bulk foods room, and garden soil from a local source. Importantly, this is the only place aside from Whole Foods (and OK Natural Food — but their bulk selection is pretty skimpy) where you can buy food in bulk: carob chips, chocolate chips, gluten free flour (and its components, mostly Red Mill I think), regular flour (white and whole wheat), nuts, figs, beans, lentils, popcorn, nutritional yeast, candied ginger, granola, spices and a lot more. Please see the photos:
Their bulk food selection has grown since I took these.
I personally have found that the bulk food option saves me money. I have been making some things with nutritional yeast, for example, and at first I wasn’t sure I would like it very much. The bulk food gives me the option to try out a variety of healthy foods I would not have wanted to commit to purchasing otherwise. The cherry on top is that a lot of the bulk foods are organic.
I really wish this store had more stock but I have a feeling that after the attempt at a co-​op, they are trying to be conservative. Perhaps in time the ownership will be able to make more purchases that enable the store to grow. I certainly hope so. This location has a lot of potential and the fact that the owners have chosen to emphasize local, organic food should be celebrated and supported. The people that work there are wonderful — be sure to engage them if you have any questions.
I feel like I should add a note about getting to the store. It’s easily found on a map but just be careful pulling into their lot and exiting. When you are exiting, I have to recommend that one wait for Sisson to get the green. Unless you are psychic, it is usually pretty dangerous to exit while 28^th Street has the light.
I still haven’t figured out how to get their by bike without feeling like a maniac (that intersection by 29^th is a nightmare) so I usually take some circuitous route that involves going further south than I would like and entering north bound on Sisson. But that’s just me.

If you want locally-​sourced produce and meat and you’ve missed/​decided against the farmers market, definitely go here. Ridiculously good prices, super-​chill environs, and decent selection even in the dead of winter. Love.

Words can’t describe how great this place is, and how friendly Cheryl and her vendors are. Their flexible hours and convenient location make a perfect mix for any Baltimore City localvore.

I’ve been searching for a place like this!!! It’s such a treasure — and filled with beautiful, local, sustainably farmed produce. amazing staff too!
i will be away for the summer, but i look forward to doing the co-​op. what an amazing deal!!!

A great place to get delicious local veggies, dairy and meat. During the summer you can pick up shares of the One Straw Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) here and during the winter they have a «winter buyers’ coop» which functions similarly to the CSA but they provide some local (e.g. root vegetables and some hearty greens) and some organic produce (e.g. oranges from Florida).
Mill Valley is also a great place to get a meal (usually weekend mornings and Friday nights), buy excellent hand-​crafted wooden rain barrels, learn why corn-​pellet stoves are sweet, and buy anything and everything for your backyard garden. Cheryl, the owner, knows everything about gardening in this area and is a great resource if you need some advice on what to plant or what kind of fertilizer or natural «pesticide» to use.
We’ve almost stopped going to the supermarket because this place has it all!
Try the canned peaches — unbeatable!

The Mill Valley Garden & Farmers Market houses a number of vendors, including Zeke’s Coffee, Whiskey Island Pirate Shop, The Curry Shack, Baltimore Biodiesel Co-​op, One Straw Farm and a number of others. All local Maryland vendors. Check out their website for a full list.
I went today for made-​to-​order omelets from the Whiskey Island Pirate Shop and Zeke’s Coffee. Coffee was awesome as usual, only $ 1.50 a cup and $ 0.75 for refills. Organic half-​and-​half too. Omelets were really good. Today, build your own with basil, cilantro, scallions, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, cheese, corn, and spinach as your ingredients. $ 7.50 per omelet including one side. A mashed sweet potato concoction that was awesome. He also sells spices, coffee blends, and regularly serves dinners at Mill Valley and Pickles Pub, where he also tends bar.
A great place for most of your gardening needs (there is a lack of basic clay pots) and local Maryland produce, meats, dairy, and canned items. Many vendor co-​ops available for those interested in community supported businesses or agriculture. I’d rather support local businesses than chains owned by huge corporations, so this place is wonderful. If I lived closer, I’d be here more often. From my experience here, it’s like a small town grocer where everyone knows each other.
For the food vendors, you can eat in at several patio furniture tables and chairs. BYOB as well.

Missed the farmer’s market? Get your milk, fruit and veggies here! Better yet, get a CSA with One Straw Farm next year and pick up your share here. You can take 2 of one item and skip the other kind of greens (rather than one each of each item on offer that week) at Mill Valley because they can sell the leftovers retail. Friday nights the Curry Shack and Whiskey Island serve dinners around $ 10 – 15 a plate. The Curry Shack brings its leftover patties to sell here after the farmer’s market Sat and Sun. My son is a huge fan.
Let’s see — also there is a great hot dog stand outside at lunchtime. 2 – 3 kinds of dogs and toppings.
Get all your garden advice — attuned to your city needs — there too.

Hands down the best garden store in Baltimore City.
In its new location (28^th & Sison), Mill Valley has had the chance to signifigantly expand the selection of plants and garden accessories while adding a new «Farmer’s Market» section devoted to selling local produce and baked goods.