On a beautiful spring morning, the 1st of May in 1991, Better Earth, Columbus’s first Ecology Store, cut its ribbon in front of a small gathering and opened its doors for business. Energized by the growing number of eco-conscious ‘soul mates’, Dareen Wearstler opened Better Earth as a store filled with Earth friendly products. Composters, water saving devices, small range solar products, compact fluorescents, organic gardening supplies, earth friendly cleaners, natural personal care, recycled paper goods and more were some of the products offered. Four months later, Better Earth expanded into the North Market selling an assortment of natural products, personal care, aromatherapy and anything else she could squeeze into a little space. Twenty years later, Better Earth has relocated, refocused, consolidated, and is still squeezing as much as possible into a little space in the North Market. 

At the new location for Better Earth, Dareen Wearstler has recreated her store into an earth friendly, community and local artisan friendly, natural products general store and gift shop in the North Market. Handcrafted pottery, soy candles, handmade soaps, beaded jewelry, and hand blown glass are some of the products and gifts made in Columbus by local artisans. Being part of the North Market, Better Earth added edible products like Jose Madrid Salsa and an assortment of foods that are gluten free and organic. Also, although not a native Buckeye herself, Dareen has added a fun filled assortment of Buckeye and Columbus souvenirs to her offerings. “I know Better Earth has changed its focus since 1991, but my Mission Statement still remains the same, community-oriented and earth friendly. I am grateful to be serving Columbus all these years” says proud propietor Dareen Wearstler.

You can still find Better Earth and Dareen in the North Market on the east aisle next to Market Blooms and across from Pure Imagination Chocolatier. On May 1st, stop by to say hi and enjoy a little sampling of Better Earth’s hospitality.

The North Market is an ever-evolving marketplace which has witnessed an array of businesses that come and go, move and expand, and mature and develop over the decades. As we prepare to welcome a new year we are pleased to announce some exciting new additions, changes in ownership and movement in stall space at the North Market. For starters, North Market welcomes The Barrel and Bottle and Clever Crow Pizza as brand new entries to our merchant mix. Meanwhile, Lac Viet Market has subtly morphed into Lan Viet Market with a new pair of owners. To top it off, Better Earth and Pam’s Market Popcorn are settled into new locations. Stop by the North Market to welcome our new merchants and greet your familiar favorites in their new digs!

Collin Castore and Jen Burton are co-proprietors of The Barrel and Bottle, a new wine and beer store in the North Market. The pair have been friends since junior high school and excited to embark on this new adventure. Jen is a familiar face around the North Market as she worked for Market Blooms for a number of years and most recently has been employed at Spagio Cellars. Collin has ample beer and wine knowledge as co-owner of Bodega in the Short North. The duo is in the process of completely overhauling the space, installing warm wood paneling in a herringbone pattern and ordering new fixtures. Once open they will stock 300 varieties of artisanal imported and domestically produced wines, domestic craft beer, select imported beer and accessories.

One of the interesting services that The Barrel and Bottle will offer is a “green jug” program. One tap cooler will host a rotation of three seasonal kegs which will be available to fill reusable 64 oz. growlers enabling customers to try a wide array of unique craft beer. They will also install a small tasting bar to offer samples of rotating daily draft beer and wine selections. Please join us in welcoming Jen and Collin of The Barrel and Bottle to the North Market.

Gary Robinette and his wife Brooke Howell-Robinette of Clever Crow Pizza have recently signed a lease to offer their handmade cornbread crust pizzas as the newest North Market specialty. These distinctive pizzas begin with a base crust of cornmeal that is made from 100% organic Ohio sweet corn milled on location by Carl Stutzman of Stutzman Farms. The hearty, crispy crust supports the amazing and abundant toppings that are available including roasted vegetables, house-made sausages, cured meats and local artisan cheeses. The pizzas are inspired by the bounty of the local farmers markets and Clever Crow Pizza seeks to use predominantly local, seasonal and handcrafted ingredients. Gary and Brooke pickle and can the fresh local vegetables used and they smoke and cure their own charcuterie meats as well.

Pizza will be available for dine in service, carry out and take and bake. In addition to 25 weekly changing specialty pizzas the Clever Crow Pizza will offer salads and seasonal tarts. Ultimately Gary and Brooke intend to offer hand packed and canned versions of their house made pickled vegetables and deli wrapped portions of their house cured meats as well. The Clever Crow Pizza was featured on an episode of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations this spring. North Market recognizes a great locally made product just as Anthony Bourdain did on his visit to Columbus and welcomes Clever Crow Pizza to the merchant family.

Lan T. Pham and husband Thanh T. Le have purchased Lac Viet Market from Thang Nguyen. Thang will still be in the food business but his focus will be on his Bethel Road restaurant. While the restaurant has undergone a subtle name shift to Lan Viet Market, the overall concept will remain the same. Lan Viet Market will continue to serve high quality, affordable, healthy and authentic Vietnamese food and provide friendly, family business-oriented service. It is a formula that has served the business well for more than six years and we wish Lan and Thanh continued success and many satisfied new and returning customers!

While the Market was disappointed by the loss of Barry’s New York Deli, the vacated space offered an opportunity to Dareen Wearstler to combine both of her North Market businesses, Better Earth General Store and Better Earth’s Beyond Beads into one dynamic location. You can now find all of your environmentally conscious cleaning supplies, earth-friendly bath and body products, locally handcrafted art, jewelry, gift items and a little bit of everything on the east aisle across from North Market Cookware. The former Better Earth space gave Pam’s Market Popcorn a little more room for her popcorn empire and you can now find Pam Tylka happily popping up her favorite flavors on the west aisle between Taste of Belgium and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. The Clever Crow Pizza will ultimately occupy the space on the southeast aisle where Pam’s Market Popcorn used to be. Did you follow all of those chess moves? Why not stop by the market and reorient yourself and give our new tenants a warm welcome?!

During the month of April, Jim Siemer will usher in spring with unveiling his new painting titled “North Market in Spring.” Jim will also exhibit his various painting of Ohio scenes. Jim in honored to exhibit his watercolors at North Market because it his favorite destination in Columbus, Ohio.  Jim is a local artist who has been painting watercolors for over 20 years. Since Jim’s family built a cottage up on Middle Bass, Island in the early 80’s, many of his paintings are of Lake Erie scenes. Recently he has been focusing on creating paintings of Columbus and other beautiful places in Ohio.

Jim is a graduate of Bishop Ready High School, where he was first challenged by art teacher Sister Marie Miller to appreciate the wonders of art. Jim graduated from Ohio University, attended Columbus College of Art and Design and Maryland College of Art and Design. Jim has taken several watercolor classes in Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. Jim is a member of the Ohio Art league and a board member of Ohio Citizens for the Arts. Jim’s artwork are can be found in galleries and gift shops in the Lake Erie region and at the Ohio State House Gift shop.

Prints and note cards of Jim Siemer’s watercolors are available at Better Earth in North Market. Jim Siemer can be contacted at jsiemer9@earthlink.net

Dareen Wearstler of Better Earth went green decades ago.  From her merchant booth in the Quonset hut to her current space in the Advanced Thresher Building, Dareen’s been sharing her environmentally conscious philosophies, earth friendly products and locally handcrafted wares with Columbus for years.

Dear Loyal Friends and Customers,

Better Earth in the North Market has supported and featured the work of local artists in Central Ohio for many years. One of our favorites is local craftsman and “legend” Robert Eickholt. Robert has been one of Columbus’ “stars” in the glassblowing community since 1978. His studio has nurtured numerous protégés and apprentices and his work has been featured in galleries both locally and nationally.

In Thanksgiving 2008 Robert Eickholt closed his doors and is no longer producing his beautiful blown glass. As a tribute to this outstanding artist and as an opportunity for glass lovers and collectors, Better Earth has purchased and will feature many final run pieces of glass from his final selection. Paperweights, vases, one-of-a-kind artist samples and more will be sold at Better Earth until our supply is gone. So please, stop in, take a look, admire and maybe even purchase a piece of one of Columbus’ native son’s beautiful works of art.

Warmest Regards, Dareen Wearstler at Better Earth