Having huge power equipment in our parking lot has made parking a little trickier and we've had some traffic jams at certain times of day. We appreciate your patience in this process. I do have some suggestions for better times to shop. If you can, you might find that parking is easier in the early mornings from 9 until about 11am, mid-afternoon from 2:30-4, and evenings after 8pm.
After 5pm and on weekends, after construction and deliveries are done for the day, there is additional parking on the North side of Wheatsville.
All staff are parking off premises or finding alternative transport to get to work to free up as much space as possible for you to shop, but it will still be a squeeze during the busiest times. Once again, I thank you for your patience during our project.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Why are we expanding/ renovating?
To improve the shopping environment for our members and
to improve the working conditions for our staff. There are
tons of small improvements that need to happen like new
wiring, plumbing, shelving, flooring, better coolers, air
conditioning, heating, etc. Much of these improvements are
overdue and need to get done. We are also simply out of room
in so many areas. Expanding will allow us to continue being
a favorite grocery store in Austin while adding even more
cool offerings!
What are we going to be
doing anyway?
We will be renovating and expanding the current store by
adding approximately a 6,000 square foot building onto the
existing main building. We'll also be renovating and
expanding the former InStep store for our offices, break
room and meeting room. The expansion will grow our sales
floor from about 5,000 to over 8,300 sq. feet which will
allow us to offer more products and remove some of the
overcrowding and traffic flow problems in the store. The red
door building, shed and offices will all be removed during
the renovation.
Can we afford it?
Our sales growth in the last 5 years is the strongest
it's been in our entire history. Our last 4 years have been
the most profitable ever. We have sizable cash reserves, no
debt, and excellent cash flow. Plus, in 2005 we had one of
the most successful co-op investment drives by raising over
$700,000 for our project from our member-owners!
What will some of the new
changes be inside the store?
A larger produce section, larger meat section with an
increased seafood section, larger grocery, dairy, &
frozen departments, a more comfortable seating area
including a small seated bar inside, 2 additional registers,
an improved owner/customer service area, an expanded deli
with salad bar, hot bar with hot soups & entrees and a
coffee/smoothie bar.
What about behind the
scenes?
We plan to have an ergonomically designed kitchen and
back stock area, and an improved, covered receiving area,
which will increase staff comfort and be much more cost
efficient. All stock will be on one level inside the same
building. (No more pushing waters up the hill or dragging
loaded dollies up stairs!) We'll have new climate controlled
offices in the former InStep building, which, as you know
will be a big improvement over the poorly ventilated,
cramped space we use now, a nicer break room and an indoor
meeting area. After the renovation our whole staff will be
in two (leak-free) buildings!
What about parking?
We'll add more bike parking and more car parking spaces but we won't be doing any additional paving. In fact, we will actually be adding more green spaces to the lot and improving the driving path for all the large delivery trucks and for shoppers.
Are we going to become
like Whole Foods?
Our expansion motto is "big enough to meet your needs,
small enough to meet your neighbors." We are expanding our
retail space from 5000 sq ft to about 8,300 sq ft. Our
entire store will still fit in the produce department of
Central Market or Whole foods. (We will not have a chocolate
fountain or a parking garage) And of course, we'll always be
a consumer-owned co-op!
Who is the architect?
Local award-winning architect Michael Antenora who has
remodeled all of the University Federal Credit Unions, the
Zen restaurant down the street on Guadalupe, and Penn Field
where Ruta Maya is located. We have also used the services
of PJ Hoffman, a co-op store planning expert who has
designed many of the best co-ops' floor plans in the
country.
Do we own the
building?
No, we have never been in the position to buy this
building and the owners, who have been our landlord for the
last 30 years, are not interested in selling. Although there
are certainly advantages to owning a building, many co-ops
do lease. We have, however, negotiated a much more
favorable, long-term lease so that we are protected in the
future. The lease is for 30 years long in 5 year increments
at our option. We have this property for up to 30 years,
until 2036.
Ok, when do we start?
Now! We've started seeing construction start already.
Construction on InStep should begin sometime shortly after
April 28th. During this time, we won't have use of that
building.
What if I have more
questions?
We expect lots of interests/questions and we want our
members and shoppers to feel comfortable about the changes.
The Breeze will have regular updates and Dan's weekly
email will be the main source of updates and added
information. Sign up for the weekly email by
clicking here!
Click on small
image to see full size. We held a small
groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the
beginning of our long-awaited project on Tuesday,
April 29th. Amber Harper, who works for our
contractor (T.F. Harper & Associates), was on
hand and posted additional pictures of the
festivities on their
website. Contractors, staff, board, and
architects are all happy to see the project
begin The demolition of the Red Door
building was pretty exciting. The aluminum roof was
recycled and some of the bricks were salvaged. Behind the rose was an old water
tank left over from the days when the building was
a Kwik Wash. The contractor helped dig up
some of the plants for staff to take home and
replant.
4/27/08 the retaining wall was
revealed
4/28/08 the retaining wall was
gone
4/29/08 the Wheatsville Board of
Directors groundbreaking ceremony
Rose Marie Klee, Stepanie Johnson,
To m Wald, Mike Crissy, Jimmy Robertson, Jane
Kurzawa Cravey, Bob Kinney, David Pease
Managers: Johnny Livesay, Dan
Gillotte, Aldia Bluewillow, Erin Gordy (hidden),
Mariah Barrett, Niki Nash, Dana Tomlin
Contractors from TF Harper, Dan
Gillotte, architect Michael Antenora and his
associates
The Red Door building
before
Good-bye Red Door, we'll miss
you!
The building is down, but the
foundation may be tougher.
The next action of the day was to remove the
gigantic Mermaid rosebush next to the old InStep
building. Many of us were sad to see it go. Several
people took cuttings.
