Since it was first announced in February of 2015, the Co-op managed to reach its fundraising goal of $2 million+, through its member/owner BIG Direction capital campaign. The fruits of that campaign paid off earlier today, as the store opened its doors at 1678 Hertel Avenue. Altogether, the community owned grocery store managed to raise a whopping $5.5 million.
“This is a proud day for our community and our Co-op. The Lexington Co-op members and investors can shop in a store knowing that they made it possible,” said Tim Bartlett, General Manager of the Lexington Co-op. “This new Hertel store makes a strong statement about our community’s commitment to support local farmers and producers. We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed during our campaign and are a part of making this highly anticipated store a reality.”
The Lexington Co-op currently has more than $14 million in annual sales and more than 15,000 member owners.
Incredibly, the Hertel location is twice the size as the Elmwood location, if that gives you a sense of the vast size of the space. The market features 9,000 square feet of retail space, including a new indoor café style seating area where customers can sit down and eat the Co-op’s prepared foods. This feature is something that the Elmwood location missed out on, due to space constraints.
The Hertel location also has a number of green design elements including:
- Energy efficient lighting
- High efficiency condensers on the refrigerators
- A heat reclaim tank that takes heat from the refrigeration systems and pre-heats hot water in the store
- Buffalo Biodiesel will reuse any leftover grease
- The store will compost or recycle 60% of solid waste
“We are extremely humbled to be one of the busiest co-ops in the country and recognize that it is not just about what you buy, it is about the experience you have buying it,” said Alison Wilcox, Board President of the Lexington Co-op. “The Co-op also buys as much as possible from local farmers and producers. In fact, 56 cents of every dollar you spend in our store is returned to the Western New York economy and more than $1.5 million was paid to local farmers and producers this past year.”
If you’re not a member of the Co-op, consider becoming a member-owner. You can learn more by visiting one of the stores, or at www.lexington.coop. You don’t need to be a member to shop at either location.
The new Hertel store will be open daily from 7 AM to 11 PM.
Photos: Lexington Co-op Hertel
