After years of planning, construction has finally begun on a larger Honest Weight Food Co-op in the City of Albany.
The official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the store’s new site on Watervliet Avenue. Plans call for the new facility to be nearly double the size of the current 16,000-square-foot store on Central Avenue.
Co-op spokeswoman Lily Bartels said the expansion has been needed for a long time, as the store is “bursting at the seams.”
“Our sales volume already greatly exceeds the benchmark that industry standards set as the trigger point where expansion becomes critical,” she said. “Plus, we simply need a more spacious and easily navigable layout to be able to provide our customers the most convenient, attractive and streamlined shopping experience possible.”
The Co-op is different from most grocery stores in that it is member owned and operated, and is self governing. The organization is guided by “social and economic ethics” and has been established in the Albany community since 1976.
The new site will provide more parking spaces for shoppers. Both the meat and prepared foods/deli departments will be expanded, and outdoor seating will be available for diners. Also, a full size teaching kitchen will be included.
“All of these ambitious goals require lots more space than we now have,” said Bartels.
After years of searching for the perfect site, one in the West End neighborhood was selected and purchased in 2007 in order to remain the same community the Co-op has operated in since 1995. But the economy turned a year later and plans had to be put on hold.
“It took a while to overcome that hurdle and get back on track, but we’ve never faltered in our determination to see this dream come to fruition,” Bartels said.
The entire project will cost about $5.4 million. The funds were obtained through private loans and an internal loan program.
Co-op President Lynn Lekakis said about 300 people participated in the loan program, providing $1.2 million in funds. Each loan had to be for at least $1,000. The lenders could then tell the Co-op board how much they wanted to lend, the rate of interest they wanted attached to the loan and when they expected to be paid back. Another 200 people opted to participate in a smaller lending program that provided an additional $300,000 in funds.
“It’s worked out well so far,” said Lekakis.
The Co-op has also recently applied for a separate nonprofit status. This new organization will be responsible for overseeing the many healthy living programs the Co-op provides, mostly to area schools. It will be an extension of the store that takes over nearly all community outreach efforts.
“We did it because over the course of this project, people have said they would straight-up donate to our efforts if we had something set up,” said Lekakis, adding how the new facility has taken up much of the board’s time and new people are needed to oversee this particular extension of the group.
The opening date for the new store is set for May 2013, according to Bartels.
She said shoppers and Co-op members — who the board now refers to as “owners” — should not expect to see higher prices because of the new location. Bartels said they are also fully prepared for the increase in grocery stores to the region, including specialty stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods. She emphasized the Co-op’s relationship with local suppliers.
“(This) means that a significant percentage of our customers’ shopping dollars support our local economy, rather than being channeled out of state,” she said.
For more information on the project or the Co-op, visit www.hwfc.com.
