Weavers Way Co-op has signed a lease for 328 W Chelten Avenue at the corner of Chelten and Morris in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. It will mark the fourth store for the local cooperative grocery store. The retail footage of the store will be approximately 6000 square feet, which is bigger than the Mt Airy and Chestnut Hill stores, but smaller than Ambler.

Consistent with other Weavers Way Co-op building projects, 328 W. Chelten will be renovated with green building practices, reusing materials when possible, including its original terrazzo flooring, and installing energy-efficient systems including a heat recapture system. The property, a former Acme, has many of the required features of a grocery store, making it a unique find for Weavers Way. It boasts a freight elevator, a clear span and high-ceiling structure with loading access, a parking lot, access to buses and the SEPTA commuter line, and many people within the immediate area, including 1,400 enthusiastic existing member households. With the original Mt. Airy store at full capacity, the site will make shopping at the Co-op a more accessible possibility for many people.

The Co-op is fully committed to community engagement in developing the store, its community programming, and product offerings. While the Co-op’s mission is to offer healthy, local and sustainable foods, each of its stores carries items that are preferred by the local community. Outreach efforts in Germantown will launch in the coming weeks. Once open, the store will offer shelf space and opportunities to new Germantown vendors through the existing Vendor Diversity program. In addition, the Co-op will bring 40-45 new jobs ranging from hourly to management to the neighborhood and will install a community fridge to address food insecurity respectfully and anonymously.

“We are super excited to become a part of Germantown’s dynamic and diverse community,” says Esther Wyss-Flamm, Weavers Way Co-op’s Board President. “As part of an extraordinary organization that works tirelessly to serve our store neighborhoods, we can’t wait to further connect with existing local members and meet and greet the new folks this exciting new venture is expected to bring.”

The Co-op has received support for this project from the City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department. This project will also be financed in part by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, administered by The Food Trust.

More details, including opening ETA, as we get them.