Central Co-Op to Open New Location

Central Co-op has signed a lease for a new location on Tacoma, Wash.’s North Pearl Street. Since its previous Tacoma location closed in July 2016, the co-op has been looking to open another location to serve the community. It currently operates one store in Seattle.

“Our new location in Tacoma will allow us to bring a full grocery experience, with a focus on local, organic products; great wages; and strong co-op values to our community and neighbors,” said CEO Garland McQueen. “We are looking forward to returning service to our existing South Sound members and particularly excited to get to know our new neighbors.”

The 14,000-square-foot store will focus on fresh foods, with a large produce department, a meat and seafood counter and an in-house deli featuring a variety of scratch-made items. The complete bulk section will feature grains, oils, vinegars, herbs and spices, honey, and dried goods. An extensive health-and-wellness section also will be housed in the new location, which previously was a grocery store. The relatively large size of the store also will allow the co-op to focus on adding local producers and bringing in more than 250 products as part of its value-priced Co-op Basics program.