Renovations Ramp up for "Mid-Fall" Portland Food Co-op

The Portland Food Co-op is expected to open in "mid-fall." During a tour of the facility yesterday, where some of the new coolers, drainage, and HVAC infrastructure have been installed, long-time board member Rachelle Curran Apse was quick to point out with a smile that "Fall doesn't start until September 23!" It's too soon to say when renovations will be completed, but once they are, the business can get its occupancy permit; at that point, opening will be only a few weeks away.

General Manager Kevin Gadsby shared that the hours of the store should be seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He expects to have 20 staff members hired by the time the store opens. There will be volunteer opportunities, but the structure of these hasn't been decided yet. When asked if it was coincidence that plaza renovations were happening at the same time as co-op build-out, Gadsby said yes and no.

"We knew they wanted to change the front of the building, the face of the plaza, but we didn't know exactly when. We had this incredible luck where we decided to do our renovations and the landlords decided to do theirs at the same time." He explained that the new owners of the plaza, who purchased it two years ago, had always intended to change the character of the neighborhood, which is part of the reason they were excited to lease to a locally-oriented company like the co-op.



For those interested in seeing the space, there should be one or two more tours before opening. Contact ownership@portlandfoodcoop.com for more information, or visit the website.
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