The new store on Flynn Avenue is expected to have its grand opening in October. Construction began in December.
“Our downtown store has exceeded its capacity,” said John Tashiro, general manager of City Market. “This entire process has been so fantastic — from the citywide support and especially the community support from our South End neighbors.”
Onion River Co-op originally functioned as a buyers club 40 years ago, with 2,800 members and a small storefront in the Old North End. Fifteen years ago the co-op opened its downtown City Market, which now has 12,000 members and employs 235 people. Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce named the co-op one of the “best places to work” in 2017, and the new facility is anticipated to fill 100 new positions.
According to Allison Weinhagen, director of community engagement at City Market, the co-op’s revenues have grown from about $12 million when the downtown store opened to $42 million last year.
The decision to build the secondary location in the South End came from customer data collected at the store’s exit, which determined this was the neighborhood with the most need, Weinhagen said. While the choice to expand in the South End was generally met with support from city officials, it wasn’t without its challenges.
In a series of community engagement sessions, residents said they worried that the streets just south of the location, like Briggs Street and Foster Street, would be used as a thoroughfare for customers and delivery trucks. Because of this pushback, designers changed the original parking lot exit from Briggs Street to Flynn Avenue.
“If our original assumptions about traffic were off, we’re committed to working with the city and the neighborhood to work on traffic calming measures,” Weinhagen said.
Originally the Flynn Avenue location was not zoned for a grocery store as a permitted land use. A zoning change was proposed and swiftly approved by the City Council in 2016.
“Generally the South End has been very supportive and excited about the reuse of what was essentially nonfunctional space,” said City Councilor Chip Mason, D-Ward 5. “We didn’t hear anyone who opposed the co-op directly, but issues were identified. Much to City Market’s credit, and at some expense, they were willing to compromise their design concepts.”
The new store will boast 14,000 square feet of grocery space, compared with 12,000 in its downtown location. There will be an espresso and smoothie bar, a teaching kitchen and a community room, which members can use for free to host meetings and events.
Weinhagen said she is especially excited about the community room.
“There’s a serious lack of community spaces in this neck of the woods,” she said.
