The Wedge Co-op is excited to announce the location of our new commissary kitchen and market café at 2412 Nicollet Ave. S.—along Minneapolis’ well-known “Eat Street.” The real estate transaction is scheduled to close in mid-January with a planned opening in late 2014.
The building is less than a mile away from the Lyndale store and will provide us with nearly 15,500 square feet of sorely needed additional space. This building will be the new home of our Catering department, most of the Deli production and our Bakehouse operations. We are also planning to include a small market café and some administrative offices at the location.
We are very excited about this location—it has close proximity to the Lyndale store, which means that it will be very easy to make deliveries here. Its nearness is also a positive attribute for our employees who will be working there. Eat Street has been a restaurant hub in the Twin Cities for decades, and this will bring an option for organic, local ingredients in our mini-market. We envision this smaller-format store being a very attractive option for fill-in grocery shopping.
The commissary kitchen will produce prepared foods and artisan bakehouse breads for sale at the Lyndale store and eventually at a second store location, as well as at the Nicollet café. The café will provide a hub in the neighborhood, serving fresh, seasonal deli menus, grab ‘n’ go sandwiches, breads, pastries, a coffee-and-juice bar, as well as a small section of groceries and produce. There will be seating and parking to accommodate patrons. Our hope with this project is not only to give us some breathing room to execute our remodel of the Lyndale store, but also to bring more healthful, convenient food options to shoppers along Nicollet Avenue.
We are still searching for a full-service second store location in another neighborhood. We plan to open the second store after this Nicollet project and our Lyndale store remodel are completed.