On a day when a lot of us could use some good news I do have some good news to report:
On November 4th the Eastside Food Cooperative announced plans to open a full-service natural foods oriented grocery store on the corner of Central Avenue and 26th Avenue NE by mid-2003. This will be the first all new food co-op to open in Minneapolis in many years. A purchase agreement has been signed for the building at 2551 Central Ave. NE. This location currently houses an auto parts store, a dollar store, and a bakery thrift store and at one time this building was a Country Club grocery store. The co-op will initially just take one space but then will have room to expand in the future. The EFC plans to operate a store of the same approximate size and design as the Seward Co-op in south Minneapolis. The co-op will be a member owned business serving people in northeast Minneapolis, Columbia Heights, Fridley, St. Anthony Village, and other northern suburbs. It will have a large parking lot and be on the same block as the Holy Land Middle Eastern deli, bakery, and grocery store. This will provide a totally unique opportunity to shop at both a full service food co-op and the premier Middle Eastern store in the Twin Cities, all in one convenient area. A variety of other ethnic restaurants and small grocery stores are also close by. This development is apt to give a big boost to the area around 26th and Central and it is receiving support from several neighborhood groups in the area. Buying rather than renting a building right up front requires a large financial commitment. Therefore the EFC is looking for more people (there are around 500 paid members already) who can take become new members or provide other financial help. This all needs to occur over a very tight timeframe so if you, or anyone you know, has been holding off on a membership until the co-op sealed the deal, please think about joining now. At a time when many of us are reeling at the overall political trends in our country and state, this is a great opportunity to do something positive and community-supportive at the local level. For more information please call the EFC project manager, Ken, at 612-788-0950 or send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bruce Shoemaker Holland neighborhood/NE Minneapolis _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
