What’s the sound I hear… an Eastside Store improvement project? — By Fern Moore, Staff Member

For the last several years, our Eastside store has been enjoying significant growth. While it’s so wonderful to see more and more customers choosing the Co-op as a place to get their food, we know that the increase in customers is creating more challenges for you and our staff. Shopping aisles are getting crammed, parking is becoming a challenge, bathrooms are limited and our product offerings could be much more if we had more retail space. In addition to serious space limitations, we are in real need of upgrades to the existing facility. The Eastside Store is quite energy inefficient, and we know it’s getting kind of funky…

What Would An Improved Eastside Look Like?
To better serve our growing membership base, we need more retail space with abundant displays of our local, organic produce and all the products currently on sale. Imagine the
checkout area being spacious and easy to move around in! And how about parking at the Eastside that is easily navigable and well signed, new and larger bathrooms, a more eco-
friendly facility, and a more aesthetically-pleasing storefront!

Are There Any New Features That Might Result From This Project?
Some ideas we’ve heard from members and staff include a full-service deli, more dining space, espresso bar, and more bulk items. Solar panel arrays, a battery back-up system, all electric HVAC, and a better insulated store would all lead to a more eco-friendly experience for Co-op members. In the coming months, the Co-op Board will be reaching out to our members to hear from you about what changes might be most important to you so that we can align project store improvements with the priorities of our membership.

Will This Happen Tomorrow?
The simple answer is no. Given the property size we have, there are many factors to consider and we are currently working with consultants to analyze the various options including expanding and improving our current store, rebuilding the store on our current property, or relocating to another property. We know we need to make changes and it will take time for this process to unfold. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and we look forward to updating you on this exciting endeavor!

Please feel free to contact expansion@olympiafood.coop with any
questions or comments. Thanks!