Dill Pickle Food Co-Op Gets Ready For Massive Expansion
By Anthony Todd in Food on Sep 25, 2015 6:16PM
A rendering of the new store.
Chicagoland is in the midst of a mini-co-op boom. Sugar Beet Co-op opened in Oak Park last month, and now Dill Pickle, Chicago's only grocery co-op for years (since the Hyde Park Cooperative closed), is about to do a massive expansion.
Shoppers have grumbled for years about how small Logan Square-based Dill Pickle is, and while we find it charming and functional, it certainly can't compete with Jewel or Whole Foods. That's about to change. The store announced this morning that they had signed a lease for a new space at 2746 N. Milwaukee that will include 10,000 square feet of space.
"We will have just under 10,000 square feet to build the new departments we need—deli, beer and wine, fresh juice, expanded produce and bulk—along with a community room and seating area. In this new store, we will be able to host events and classes, purchase in volumes and create efficiencies that help us lower prices, create more living-wage jobs, comfortably serve more of our neighbors, and better promote cooperative practice in Chicago."
The new space is less than a mile from their current space, and is close to the Logan Theater, Parts and Labor and other local businesses.
They're seeking help with the funding, including asking new people to become owners of the co-op. If you've held off because of the size or the selection, now might be the right time to buy in.