Ingrid J.
Yelp
This tiny oasis of foodie heaven is in danger. All the wretched construction on South Hill, which makes each summer a personal driving hell, has impacted this small market, and reduced access. Yes, it's great to live somewhere that the massive government bureaucracy actually fixes infrastructure before something dire (unlike, say, California) but not at the expense of an indie business that offers so much.
If this place were in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, I wouldn't worry about its salvation. But it's not. I have been hard-pressed to find anything similar between Issaquah and Coeur d'Alene.* The combination of gourmet, locally-produced and healthy-organic foods is only rivaled by Huckleberry's, but the prices are similar (and sometimes lower) than Huckleberry's, and honestly, there are a great many things I can only find at Rocket Market. All the other reviews have spelled it out concerning the beer/wine selection, the deli, the chocolate selection, the produce and the array of product stocked on the shelves. Yes, it is quality. Yes, the people are friendly and helpful. I had a long conversation around 11pm one night with a cashier who had been punk in Oakland back in the day.
There have been concerts in the parking lot. I watched, during the holiday season, as they'd close up the cafe section to host a formal holiday party in the evening. I hear great things about the wine (I stopped drinking during medical treatment) and I can honestly say I've never had a bad meal or bought an inferior product.
Don't dismiss this place as merely a gas station. It's a neighborhood institution -- I drive all the way across South Hill in the dead of winter to get ice cream here. (Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches from Portland, Talenti ice cream bars which I haven't even seen at Whole Foods, and Three Twins Ice Cream from SF - which I used to get at the Fillmore store.)
*There's a review from someone who claims he's "lived in large cities with many stores like this, but [he] didn't find it all that special." Okay, this is NOT Seattle, so no, there aren't other stores like this within a two hundred mile radius. I've checked. This same person whines in another review about a waiter not fawning over him at a $120 lunch in Malibu. Seriously? Douche.