New Mic's Market in Sewickley packed with hard-to-find health foods

Michaela Blaney wants to help people live a happy and healthy lifestyle.

The California entrepreneur moved from the West Coast to Sewickley a couple of years ago to accomplish that goal in the Quaker Valley.

Blaney felt inspired to open a micro market after visiting close friends and fellow Sewickley business owners Leanne and Erik Ford during Thanksgiving 2022.

“I saw a need that wasn’t being addressed and opened this,” Blaney said. “It’s been well-received.”

What opened was Mic’s Market, a small grocer at 537 Beaver St. near the Verizon store.

The roughly 1,500-square-foot facility is filled with organic, gluten-free, plant-based and vegan items as well as a smoothie bar and hot foods bar.

There are hard-to-find premium snacks such as VegoBears, organic vegan gummy bears, and Dream Pops — plant-based frozen desserts — and every day essentials.

The food bar features two proteins, two starches and two vegetable options. The menu changes daily.

“What I’m trying to do is make healthy food that tastes good,” Blaney said. “I definitely think that a better physique and feeling good comes from the inside, and food is an inside job.

“People like having access to quick, healthy, delicious food.”

There are a lot of grab-and-go options as well. Hot meals are served between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Blaney takes pride in having items people won’t find at other markets and health food stores.

Some of the featured products are also from women and minority-owned businesses.

“It turns out a lot of people are trying to change the business of health,” Blaney said. “There’s too many products that are processed and filled with garbage and junk.

”Most of (what’s here) have ingredients that you can pronounce and that you’d recognize. There’s nothing processed. Nothing refined. We just try to find the best quality versions (of things).”

The signature smoothie is a delicious blue concoction of pineapple, blue spirulina, vanilla protein, banana and almond milk. It’s called The Mic Drop.

Jennifer Taylor of Ohio Township is one of its frequent customers.

“I just like the fact that there are a lot of gluten-free options, and it seems a lot is locally sourced and high-quality organic food,” Taylor said. “We don’t have that many options here in Pittsburgh. I did get some yogurt. I got some chicken bites. There’s a lot of variety. That’s what I like.”

Instead of a typical weekly grocery ad, the market has a quarterly newspaper also called The Mic Drop.

Its inaugural issue features an introduction to the store owner, a story about the pros of protein and how to eat more of it and a write-up of why to avoid refined sugars. There is also a word search and recipe spotlight inside.

“What’s better than having your coffee in the morning and reading a little newspaper?” Blaney said. “I just made it really fun and interesting. It’s a way for me to also educate our customers.”

Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

More information is available at eatmics.com.