In the heart of South Philly, our store will be located at 2031 S. Juniper St., just steps from three commercial corridors — East Passyunk Avenue, Snyder Avenue and Broad Street — and one block from SEPTA's Broad Street Line.
We’ve got just over 3,300 square feet of ground floor retail that we are transforming into a fully stocked grocery store.
Detailed store layout coming soon!
Meet the Team
Facilities Committee
This team comprises a core group of expert Co-op volunteers who are responsible for managing the store outfitting process in collaboration with our other partners below and within the project budget approved by the Co-op Board of Directors. The Facilities Committee members include:
- Angel D’Ippolito (Committee Chair)
- Jessica Calter
- Anthony Fasano
- Jose Garcia
- Maria Sourbeer
Project Management/Owner’s Representative: Watchdog Real Estate Project Managers
One of Philadelphia’s premier firms, Watchdog has come on board pro bono to help us with project management and be our owner’s representation. Longtime Co-op member-owner and Watchdog Senior Project Manager Natalie Malawey-Edine, as well as Associate Project Manager Camden Cowen, bring experienced leadership, indispensable knowledge and valuable industry influence to assist the Co-op in every phase of the project.
Architect: Re:Vision
We are thrilled to work with the mission-driven Philadelphia firm Re:Vision, a certified B Corp. Re:Vision was founded in 2002 to make a positive difference through the work of design and building professionals who wanted to unapologetically combine their passions for natural, built and human environments. They even talk about how local food influenced their inception:
“Our early business model was influenced by Philadelphia restaurateur Judy Wicks, who shared her market-edge expertise in sourcing local foods with her restaurant’s competition, thereby raising the entire bar for local foods. This challenged us to acknowledge that if we really believe in sustainability, we can’t favor individual market share over market transformation. So, we found a way to both practice green architecture and support others in achieving more sustainable designs and operations.”
With project experience in lots of local food retail and cooperative environments, including Weavers Way, Mariposa, Fair Foods Farmstand and many more, we know we have the right team for the job. Our main project partners at Re:Vision are:
- Scott Kelly, AIA, LEED FELLOW, CPHC, LFA: Co-Founder, Principal-in-Charge
- Mike Cronomiz, RA, LEED AP, CPHD
Grocery Layout Design Consultants: UNFI
United Natural Foods (UNFI) is an organic, natural and specialty food distributor with an explicit mission to connect farms to families. They also have an incredible grocery layout design team that specializes in supporting start-up and mission-driven grocers like us map out an arrangement of equipment and products that will optimize customer flow and satisfaction. We intend to use UNFI as a distributor for many goods in our store; in the meantime, we are tapping their layout expertise and they are getting to know our community. Win-win!
Timeline for Opening
The image above is a graphical representation of our goals and actions as we move through the various stages that will lead to the grand opening of our community-owned marketplace. We are currently in stage 3(a), having recently signed a lease for our future home at 2031 S. Juniper St. We are actively working with the partners above on designing the store, setting up our business infrastructure, hiring a General Manager, and raising the necessary funds to make it all happen.
Join Us on Juniper!
To capitalize the Co-op and transform this empty space into a fully stocked grocery store, we need to raise $1 million. You can learn more about our Capital Campaign here. If you're not yet a member-owner, we invite you to join us in turning this dream into a reality.