MARKET MILESTONE. The Menomonie Market Food Co-op currently being built at the former City Lot 7 in downtown Eau Claire is about to turn a major construction corner this spring, priming it for its expected fall 2023 opening. (Mock-up graphics via Menomonie Market website)

The downtown Eau Claire Menomonie Market Food Co-op project is coming up on one year since the approval of a development agreement with the City of Eau Claire, and construction progress is amping up. Walls are up, the roof is beginning to be installed, and in the coming month, critical lines will be dug into the floor of the building, priming it for floor pouring. Soon after, co-op staff will have access to the space.

Original plans aimed for doors to open on the 14,000-square-foot store and deli in fall 2023, and construction is moving along to try to meet that goal. The store will feature a deli and indoor seating on each of its two stories where patrons can enjoy meals, a rooftop event space, as well as 50 parking spaces.

Once flooring is poured, which should be completed within the next month, further installations will occur within the walls that are already standing at the corner of North Barstow and Galloway streets. Next will come energy-efficient coolers, a commercial kitchen, shelving units, and more. Plus, the new store will be gaining a new addition that will hit the Menomonie location even sooner: self-checkouts.

The Menomonie store (814 E. Main Street, Menomonie) is expected to welcome self-checkout sometime this spring in addition to its full-service lanes, and both options will be available in the new Eau Claire location.

“When I asked around, people seem to have pretty strong feelings about self-checkout; they either love it and are excitedly clapping their hands, or they share feelings about the way the world is getting less personal,” Crystal Halvorson, the co-op’s general manager, said in a recent newsletter. 

Following the merger of Menomonie Market Co-op and Just Local Foods in 2021, plans surged ahead for a new downtown Eau Claire store, with the co-op ultimately seeking to sell $2 million in preferred shares – or Class C Shares – to support the project. Current investment totals more than $1.7 million, according to the most recent newsletter.

Up to 4,000 Class C stock certificates, sold in $500 shares, were made available statewide. At the end of February, roughly $35,000 in dividends were distributed to more than 350 investors.

“(That) money is returned directly into the hands of our owners, the people who shop in our stores and are committed to increasing our local food-based economy,” Halvorson explained.

“THIS WAY OF RAISING MONEY FOR THE PROJECT BENEFITS BOTH THE INVESTORS AND THE COOPERATIVE.”

crystal halvorson

MENOMONIE MARKET CO-OP GENERAL MANAGER

“This way of raising money for the project benefits both the investors and the cooperative,” Halvorson continued. “The co-op can set the interest we will pay at rates lower than what we would pay a bank to borrow money for the project, and higher than what an individual can earn from a bank with other lower-risk investments – a financial win-win.”

Wisconsinites can become owners of Menomonie Market Food Co-op by filling out an online ownership application or by stopping into the South Farwell Street location in Eau Claire or the  Menomonie store for more information.

“Whether you have supported the co-op through Preferred Shares, purchasing an ownership share for a friend, or shopping with us, it all adds up to something wonderful.”

Keep up with the Menomonie Market Co-op’s expansion and additional news by visiting their website and Facebook (@MenomonieMarket).