Branches Garden Center

3909 S. 320th St., Auburn
www.branchesgc.com

Although the address is technically in Auburn, this sweet little garden center is definitely part of Federal Way - it's on 320th right before it turns into Peasley Canyon Road and before you reach the, "Welcome to Auburn" sign; it is very involved in the FW community, participating in Federal Way Community Gardens, the FW sand sculpting championships, organic gardening workshops and more; and, it was just voted as the best nursery in the Federal Way Mirror's "Best Of" competition. With that out of the way, let me tell you how much I love this store, no matter what its provenance.

The store is a series of buildings which are essentially giant garden sheds leading to an outdoor area full of plants, pottery, and statuary. You enter through the amazing gift shop, which looks as though it was taken directly from your hippest friend's Pinterest boards. In addition to the garden-related items such as tools, potting soil, bird feeders, cute watering cans, etc., there are so many lovely gifts, from pretty candles to beautiful scarves and aprons, funky dish towels, gourmet foods, wine accessories, jewelry and more. Even if you have no yard and a black thumb, you could still spend hours here.

If you are a gardening buff, looking for a great selection of plants, you could also spend hours here. They have a beautiful assortment and lots of really helpful information about planting and care. You can also find great garden items such as pots, trellises, birdbaths and fountains. The staff are very friendly and happy to answer questions.

I think the greatest thing I can say about Branches is that it has inspired me to garden, even though I am notoriously bad at caring for plants and never had much interest in it before. Just walking through their door makes me believe that I can be that girl with the awesome Pinterest gardening board.

Marlene's Market & Deli

2565 S Gateway Center Pl, Federal Way

http://www.marlenesmarket-deli.com/  

I don’t think I could live in a town that didn’t have a real hippy grocery store.  It’s important to me to have a place where I can buy my quinoa pasta, amaranth flour and dates in bulk.  Marlene’s is that place in Federal Way and it does not disappoint.  My husband has some food sensitivities and when he made the decision to stop eating gluten and refined sugar, I was never so happy to have Marlene’s in town to stock up on some new pantry staples.  They have a huge bulk section and a great variety of foods that cater to people who aren’t willing or able to live on white bread and American cheese.  In fact, they have an impressive display of vegan cheese and a large selection of gluten-free items.

In addition to the very large natural, whole foods grocery store downstairs, Marlene’s has a second floor that sells non-grocery goods such as earth-friendly soaps, cosmetics, clothing, candles, gifts, greeting cards and books.  The second floor also houses the deli.  You can get great sandwiches, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes and take in the massive salad bar.  We love this place for lunch because we can please everyone in the family, even our toddler who would happily live on cottage cheese and olives if that were an option.

As if all of this weren’t enough, they host a lecture series on Thursday nights where local health professionals share information about healthy lifestyle and diet choices.  Additionally, they offer cooking classes and in-store chair massage.  You really can’t find these services at any other grocery in town and, honestly, if you ever received a massage or advice on your colon at Walmart, it would probably be unsolicited and you’d want to get a Hepatitis shot after.  Skip the hassle and head to Marlene’s.