Today Turnip Truck had the honor of celebrating the first birthday of our West Nashville/Charlotte Ave. store during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Byย Marq Burnett
Mar 30, 2020, 7:48am EDT
Like a lot of Nashvillians and Middle Tennessee residents,ย John Dykeย is dealing with disasters on two fronts.
Dyke, founder and owner of Turnip Truck, opened the groceryโs third location, in West Nashville, on Friday, but said itโs been a challenging few weeks due to both the tornado and COVID-19.
Dyke recalls spending โthree days in rubbleโ after a deadly tornado struck Nashville. Dykeโs East Nashville store sustained roof damage, but a warehouse near John C. Tune Airport storing his equipment was flattened.
Dyke was able to salvage a few countertops, but said he was fortunate enough to find closed grocery stores in North Carolina where he could buy equipment during an auction.
Now, heโs managing a grocery store in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic.
โI had to remind myself to look around because we still have a neighborhood thatโs torn to pieces right in front of our eyes,โ Dyke said. โItโs almost like we donโt notice it because weโve moved from one thing to the next.โ
Dyke opened the doors to Turnip Truckโs third location on Friday.
โWe wanted to have an essential place for our neighbors on the west side to be able to come shop,โ Dyke said. โThere are so many stores that arenโt able to meet the demand, so I felt it was critical for us to open up.โ
Dyke said sales have almost doubled in recent weeks, calling it โextreme growthโ inside the stores.
Take a tour of the store in the slideshow with this story.
โEverything Iโve seen has been two thumbs up, twice,โ Dyke said of the response heโs seen to the store opening. โEverybodyโs excited about having this in their backyard so theyโre not having to drive out of their neighborhood to get the critical supplies that we all kind of need at this moment.โ
The 15,000-square-foot store offers produce, a butcher, bulk foods, beer and wine, supplements, health and beauty items, and a filtered-water station. The produce is sourced within 200 miles. In a typical season, 90% or more of Turnip Truckโs produce is organic, but a news release notes that this may be affected by โthe current situation.โ
The store also plans to have a hot bar, salad bar, 100% organic juice bar and deli. However, due to the coronavirus, the salad and hot bars are currently closed at all Turnip Truck locations. In an effort to meet increased demand for groceries throughout the city, Dyke said heโs hired 30 new employees to ensure shelves remain stocked at stores.
Rooftop solar panels will provide 15% of the storeโs energy. The store will have recycling stations; it also wonโt use plastic grocery bags, a company policy since 2014.
Dyke, an East Tennessee native, opened the original Turnip Truck Natural Market on Woodland Street in East Nashville in 2001. He later opened a location in the Gulch.
Byย Marq Burnettย ย Mar 26, 2020, 7:33am EDT
With the increased need for groceries and other household items due to COVID-19, the Turnip Truck is proceeding with plans to open its third location.
Turnip Truck owner and founderย John Dykeย announced the full-service natural grocery store will open at 10 a.m Friday at 5001 Charlotte Ave.
โTwo weeks ago, much of the equipment for this store was destroyed by the tornado,โ Dyke said in a news release. โWith COVID-19 striking on the heels of that, we knew we had to press forward to help feed our neighbors. Iโm thrilled to say that โ against all odds โ we are opening a day earlier than we had originally planned. It wonโt be as polished as we had hoped, but it will be open.โ
The 15,000-square-foot store will offer produce, groceries, a butcher, bulk foods, beer and wine, supplements, health and beauty items, and a filtered water station, according to a news release. The produce is sourced within 200 miles. In a typical season, 90% or more of Turnip Truckโs produce is organic, but the release notes that this may be affected by โthe current situation.โ The store also plans to have a hot bar, salad bar, 100% organic juice bar and deli. However, due to coronavirus, the salad and hot bars are currently closed at all Turnip Truck locations.
โThis would not have been possible without the herculean efforts of our team and the support of the city of Nashville,โ Dyke said in the release. โWe are thrilled to have more than 90 local companies represented in our inventory. In addition, we are creating new jobs here for 70 employees.โ
In an effort to meet increased demand for groceries throughout the city, Dyke said heโs hired 30 new employees to ensure shelves remain stocked at stores.
Rooftop solar panels will provide 15% of the storeโs energy. The store will have recycling stations, and it also wonโt use plastic grocery bags, a company policy since 2014.
Dyke, an East Tennessee native, opened the original Turnip Truck Natural Market on Woodland Street in East Nashville in 2001. He later opened a location in the Gulch.
โWith the current threat to our health, nowโs the time to focus on nutrition and building up our immunity,โ Dyke said. โOur team has always been a health partner to our customers, and we are ready and able to help folks find the right products and supplements for their individual need