Latest in a series of posts on the Bethlehem Food Co-Op 
Nearly a decade after the effort to bring a co-op grocery store to the city began, the Bethlehem Food Co-op has signed a lease for a property in a north Bethlehem downtown neighborhood.
But you’re going to have to wait almost a week to find out where.
The co-op is holding a virtual announcement party Friday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. to share all of the details of the location with the public. Volunteers will share the address, a draft rendering of what the store will look like and plans to make the next steps happen, as well as an invitation to drive by the new site the next day.
The co-op is partnering with Peron Development and Boyle Construction on the project.
The volunteer-run nonprofit now has 770 member-owners. Food co-ops are grocery stores owned by members who get to shop at a discounted rate and take classes. Members pay a one-time fee of $300, and the co-op offers an installment plan. Anyone will be able to shop at the Bethlehem Food Co-op but they won’t share in the perks of membership.
The co-op’s real estate committee previously said it was evaluating available spaces in parts of the city’s north side, which is considered a food desert. The area is roughly bounded by Washington Avenue to the north, the Lehigh River to the south and extends from Stefko Boulevard to First or Second Avenue.
The co-op has said it needs about 4,500 square feet of retail space and about 2,500 square feet of storage space.
To register for the presentation and for more information, visit bethlehemfood.coop.
