Abundance Cooperative Market is moving to Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood. The co-op has been located on Marshall Street for the last 14 years, but is announcing that it will move to a new, larger store at 571 South Avenue early next year.
Store officials say the new location will provide nearly twice as much space as they currently have, with 7,500 square feet of retail space, and 5,000 square feet for warehouse, administrative and community use.
They say they will be able to increase the range of products that they sell and offer more competitive prices on things like locally sourced and organic products. They also plan to expand their offerings for prepared foods and have a larger cafe area.
Store operators say the new location will also offer more visibility which should help attract more customers. Another feature of the store will be a dedicated community space to do things like host cooking classes, community meetings and other educational outreach.
Funding for the move was helped in part by a federal grant through the city and a loan from the county. The expansion is expected to add ten full time jobs over the first year and several more over the next five years.
