Navigation

Veggie Rebellion in Downtown Glendale Is Closing

This weekend is your last chance to shop there.
Image: The vegan grocery store closed in downtown Glendale.
The vegan grocery store closed in downtown Glendale. Lauren Cusimano

What happens on the ground matters — Your support makes it possible.

We’re aiming to raise $7,000 by August 10, so we can deepen our reporting on the critical stories unfolding right now: grassroots protests, immigration, politics and more.

Contribute Now

Progress to goal
$7,000
$2,200
Share this:
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Veggie Rebellion in Glendale is closing after just over one year in business. The store is located at 5717 West Glendale Avenue.

The Glendale grocery store specializes in vegan foods, but also carries pet food and household cleaning products. It was founded by vegetarians and entrepreneurs Sandra and Dylan McKee in February 2018.

They shared the news via a lengthy Facebook post on Monday night, March 4. Here's how that post began:

"As many of you, our loyal friends, have known for several weeks, we've been facing some challenges. This is the reality of virtually all small businesses, especially in the early days. Money never stretches far enough, people don't want to work with small organizations, and the future is generally uncertain."

click to enlarge
Sandra McKee at Veggie Rebellion.
Amy Young
But it's clear that other factors are at play here, too.

The post is accompanied by a dark image of a heart, nearly severed in two by a lightning-like line. And it references the wider context for the vegan grocery store's demise, citing the familiar idea that all good things must come to an end. This excerpt is particularly poignant:

"Strangely, everything is ending for me. The vision I had for my family, my store, my city, my community, and my future has recently and rapidly changed. I vowed to rock this thing until the wheels fell off, and sadly, they have."

The post also reveals their immediate plans.

They'll be closed this week, but open one last weekend, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both Saturday, March 9, and Sunday, March 10. After that, they'll liquidate their inventory to cover vendor debts, then sell or return store equipment and shelving.

In the meantime, they're spreading the word and thanking their supporters.

"We are so grateful for everyone allowing VR to serve our community," the closing section of their post reads, in part. "We appreciate the friends and family we have made along the way."