As members know, our space is full, full, full and for several years now, we’ve been looking at a variety of options including moving and renovating to be able to expand. Many of you will remember back in 2015, when we first moved into our present location, the entire right side was empty of products. We had a library and a children’s play area in front of the window with table and 6 chairs, and Carolyn’s paintings graced the walls (you can still see some of them). Fast forward several years and we found our shelves chock-a-block and our bagging table crammed into the corner. Growth is good, but only when you have somewhere to go!
Fall 2023, in a conversation with co-op member Jini Patel about our ongoing challenges to push out walls, hang groceries from the ceiling and provide dance lessons to our volunteers, Jini had the idea of approaching the corporate office of Westland Insurance to appeal to their civic spirit and community-mindedness – which she did brilliantly and with success!!
Dave Thomas, head of Facilities and Construction for existing and future Westland buildings, was immediately enthusiastic and promptly approached the owners of Westland with the idea of allocating some square footage to our co-op. They agreed to help us out!
After much back and forth, we acquired an additional 200 square feet with minimal fuss and disruption thanks to Dave, his team and our project manager, Kristin Wills.
It may seem like a small increase in size but in fact it meant the very good use of a special grant from Investment Agricultural Fund and Regional District of the North Okanagan, for the renovations and the purchasing of 3 new public coolers, 2 storage coolers and 2 storage freezers, all of which fit beautifully in the expanded space.
What has been the result?
- more space for member orders
- greater variety of supplements and other products that people have requested
- greater volumes of products from Local Vendors at more competitive prices
- backup freezer in case of power outages
- greater cool storage for perishables
All of these factors and improvements have contributed to a stronger bottom line financially and an even greater commitment to our community, businesses and farms.
