E.L. Food Co-op celebrates reopening Sunday

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After hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrades, the newly remodeled East Lansing Food Co-op, 4960 Northwind Drive, is set to host its official grand reopening Sunday.

Starting in late October 2011, the store put about $200,000 of its own money into installing energy-efficient lighting and expanding its fresh food sections and freezer space, General Manager David Finet said.

Visitors to the store will have the opportunity to view the upgrades and eat free samples of in-store products — such as items from Ann Arbor-based Zingerman’s Deli — during a special reopening scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Construction workers completed nearly all of the work while the store remained open, and the store only was closed for two days, Finet said. The upgrades are geared to draw more community members to the location, he said.

The store’s expanded fresh food sections include an emphasis on fresh, locally grown and organic produce to cater to regular shoppers, but it also features prepackaged and frozen products, as well as Michigan beer and wine varieties.

Some customers do the majority of their shopping at the store, Finet said.

“Throughout the store, there’s just a ton of Michigan products here,” he said. “We feel that’s really important.”

About five years ago, the co-op had significant financial troubles and was in danger of shutting down, Finet said.

Finet said the remodeling recognizes the outpouring of support the co-op has received from the community.

“I think what it really is is a sign of the support we got from the community,” he said. “It’s largely our opportunity to take that money … and turn around and reinvest it in the store.”

Finet said he hopes the renovations also might bring in more students to the shop.

Most students don’t discover the co-op until they have lived in East Lansing for a few years, Finet said.

Nutritional sciences senior Staci Farah said she would be interested in heading to the co-op but said other students might not be as inclined to try the store’s products.

“I think a lot of students aren’t in to (buying a lot of organic foods),” she said. “A lot of students buy prepackaged foods.”

The upgrades have caught the eye of some of the co-op’s longtime customers, including East Lansing resident Jill Eby.

Eby said she has been buying products at the store for about the past 10 years.

“I come here pretty regularly now,” she said. “I’m still getting used to (the new layout), but I like it.”

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