By Dena Mellick, Associate editor

Earth Fare, an organic and natural foods grocery store, is opening in Emory Point on Wednesday, July 8.

Decaturish got a look at the new store Tuesday, as final preparations were under way in anticipation of the grand opening which begins at 7 a.m.

Founded in Asheville, N.C., Earth Fare stores are primarily located in the Southeast. The Emory Point store is the 37th location for the private company. It’s the second store in the Atlanta area; another one opened in Peachtree Corners in January.

Laurie Aker, spokeswoman for Earth Fare, said the grocery chain differentiates itself from other grocers by its rigorous quality standards — there are no hormones, antibiotics, trans-fats, artificial sweeteners or colors in its food.

“We like to say we read the food label so you don’t have to,” Aker said.

The grocer also caters to those with specialty diets including vegan, gluten free, and kosher. “We have close to 1,000 different gluten free options,” Aker said.

Amanda Arnet, New Store Marketing Manager for Earth Fare, said the company chose Emory Point, because of the proximity to Emory University and the CDC and the opportunity of pulling in a strong lunchtime crowd to its deli and cafe. In addition to hot bar options, there will also be a salad bar, sushi, and made-to-order pizza and sandwiches. It’s also hoping to appeal to customers in a hurry with its grab-and-go options and $3 children’s meals.

Attracting the Emory/CDC crowd will be important, because Earth Fare certainly has some competition in the area.

Gourmet grocer The Fresh Market is also having a grand opening Wednesday in Brighten Park, the rebranded Loehmann’s Plaza.

And Whole Foods is just around the corner from the new Earth Fare, located at 1578 Avenue Place, Suite #200, Atlanta. Whole Foods, which already has the reputation of being pricey, recently found itself in hot water for overcharging customers. Executives apologized to customers in a video.

Decaturish asked Earth Fare about its pricing as well. Aker said its 400 store brands products, coupons, and specials help customers shopping on a budget.

“We also have an action-based rewards program, ” Aker said. “It’s called Tomato Bank. … The whole idea is you can shop in the store and when you buy certain products, you can wrap up points, and every 100 points is a dollar store credit. And you can get points for bringing in your own reusable bag.”

Aker said there will be live music, specials, and samples from vendors at Wednesday’s grand opening. She also said the first 100 people in line will get a “mystery gift card” valued up to $500.

Here are more photos of the new Earth Fare store, just before its Wednesday opening: