Open Harvest's Grand Opening October 16th

By Sarah F. Sullivan

After three years of attempting to expand their premises, on October 16th at 9 a.m., co-op grocery Open Harvest will hold its Grand Opening to showcase its bigger and better store. After a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Chris Beutler, patrons and enthusiasts will be able to enjoy various giveaways and sales that will last for four weeks following the Grand Opening.

From its modest beginnings in 1975 in a tiny space at 27th and Randolph to its current location in South Street Plaza, Open Harvest has long seen the need for more space.

“The previous sales area was too small,” said Merchandising Manager, Kelsi Swanson. “We also had lots of problems with produce and product loss because of a lack of space for larger coolers.”
 
The board of directors had searched for other locations outside of South Street Plaza, but on July 1st the store was able to take over the space formerly used by Eyes of the World. With the help and support of the community, this expansion gave the co-op a total of nearly 10,000 square feet, double its former size.

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Local businesses also did their part to support Open Harvest. Sandquist Construction and A1 Plumbing played a major part in the construction of the new space and Straw Sticks & Bricks donated a 6-foot x 3-foot recycled glass countertop for the Deli. Union Bank & Trust and members of the co-op provided monetary support.

The newly renovated store will feature visibly expanded departments, giving it the opportunity to showcase more local produce, meats and gourmet foods, more gluten-free and special-diet items, larger aisles, a fourth check stand and a full-service customer service desk. The meat and seafood department grew by 150% and boasts a new case, full service seafood counter and cooler.

The cheese department has grown to offer more imported and locally produced cheeses and customers can purchase cut-to-order chunks of cheese from its service counter. The produce section now has five new tables full of fresh, organic fruit and vegetables. One table will feature only produce from local farmers and a new produce cooler will allow the co-op to keep more produce on hand and keep it fresher longer. A grab-n-go cooler will offer ready-to-eat meals, salads, and sandwiches prepared by the Open Harvest Deli.

Because of its new cooler, the supplements and body care department can now offer a larger selection of refrigerated probiotics and nutritional oils. In the future, Open Harvest hopes to present its own label of vitamins and minerals, protein powder, probiotics, fish oil and a variety of other supplements.

All of these things have been built and expanded while keeping in mind Open Harvest’s devotion to the natural and organic. Anything that was taken out of the old space that could be recycled, was recycled. Many fixtures came from Linens n’ Things, and Screen Ink created signs for the store made out of recycled wood. The store also features energy-efficient lighting and ozone-friendly refrigerated equipment.

“I think we’re really going to give our members what they asked us for,” Swanson said. “With this new space, we are able to be more green. It’s expensive, but working with the local community has been great!”

For information about the store’s expansion or Grand Opening, call 402-475-9069, visit www.openharvest.coop or follow the co-op on Facebook and Twitter.