Bonjour Marketplace offers a healthy living alternative to Marpole residents.
There’s been a produce stand or green grocer of some kind at 8496 Granville Street for at least the past two decades, according to Wie Lee, the former owner who currently manages Bonjour Marketplace as it makes the transition to new ownership.
During Lee’s tenure, the market became a specialized boutique health food store focusing on organic, non-GMO, and special dietary products aimed at people who want greater control of what they are putting in their bodies. “Every person is different, the human body is very complex,” he says. “To say that there is one correct way of healthy eating and taking supplements is wrong. We all have a lot to learn from both Chinese and Western medicine.”
Bonjour Marketplace proudly sells both local and imported produce, because “many of our customers are new to Canada and they are not used to the Canadian diet. They want to buy foods and spices from their home country,” Lee says.
For Canadians, learning about exotic produce and spices is a learning process. “We try not to sell any pre-packaged items,” Lee says. The staff at Bonjour Marketplace encourages people to cook and eat healthy food that they can make from scratch. Lee sees the store’s mission as being one of education and awareness. “We offer cooking and nutrition lessons on a regular basis. We don’t do it to make money; we do it in order to help people make better choices.”
Bonjour Marketplace also offers a special members’ club that provides discounts of 20% on produce and 10% on regular priced items along with two free liters of purified Kangen water, every day.
Located at 8496 Granville Street, be sure to check out Bonjour Marketplace next time you’re out stocking up on groceries.