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La Montanita Co-Op is planning a new store on Albuquerque’s West Side. It is expected to open this summer. (Journal File Photo)
Albuquerque’s West Side is about to get an extra helping of organic veggies and bulk granola.
La Montañita Co-Op is planning a new store near the intersection of Alameda and Ellison NW. The natural foods market will take over an existing (but empty) shopping-center space next to Petco.
General Manager Terry Bowling said on Tuesday that the new store — featuring approximately 6,300 square feet of retail space — is slated to open by the end of July.
It is the sixth location of La Montañita, which already has two Albuquerque grocery stores, one in Santa Fe, one in Gallup and a grab-and-go location on the University of New Mexico campus.
Bowling said the new store is almost exactly the same size as the Rio Grande NW location but will be designed with more space for meat, produce and the deli.
The co-op had been looking for a West Side site for about two years, Bowling said, and expects to significantly grow its membership in that part of the metro area.
“It’s just a natural progression for us,” Bowling said.
The new store will employ between 30 and 40 people, he added.
La Montañita is a community-owned, consumer cooperative with approximately 13,000 members. Membership is not required to shop in the stores.
-- Email the reporter at jdyer@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3864
