The Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op will reopen on November 6 after being closed for most of the summer for remodeling and operating a pop-up tent in the Sycamore Ave. parking lot during construction.
The co-op’s 12-week renovation, which began on July 5, includes a new layout, energy-efficient upgrades, expanded product offerings from local vendors, and package-free produce. Other changes during the renovation include redoing the flooring to prevent runaway carts, relocating the registers to avoid checkout lines backing up into the aisles, fully replacing the HVAC equipment, upgrading the restrooms, and replacing the electrical system.
Planning for the renovation began in 2017 when the co-op, which moved to its current location in 1998, received a Maryland historic grant for building and equipment upgrades.
The grant stipulated that the funds must be spent or allocated to a project by the middle of 2024.
“All these changes were made with feedback from customers and member-owners taken into account,” the co-op said, announcing the renovation project earlier this year. “The Co-op management and Board tried throughout the process of design and project bidding to prioritize keeping the building open as long as possible. Unfortunately, the system upgrades such as electrical, plumbing and HVAC will be extensive enough that a closure is required. County health and occupancy regulations would not allow us to occupy the building during this work, especially given our small footprint.
“We are dedicated to keeping the building closure time to an absolute minimum and continuing to service customers via other sales methods while the construction occurs.”
TPSS Co-op General Manager Mike Houston posted an update on Thursday thanking member-owners and shoppers for their kindness and support during the project.
“It’s been a busy few weeks since our last update,” Houston wrote. “Our construction team finished the new roof and worked hard fixing and leveling our floor, which was in very bad shape. After the floor leveling was done throughout the store, the new tile was put in which looks fantastic.
“On 9/30 we had to remove the front doors and glass panels in order to bring in our large refrigeration and freezer cases. The cases look beautiful and are being built and connected to the system that will run them. The rain delayed the pouring of an important concrete pad in the Sycamore lot which will house the system that controls the refrigeration. The soil was inspected on 10/2 after rain stopped and concrete was finally poured.
“There’s still work to do including finalizing the plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems, but everything is coming along. I truly can’t wait for all of you to see how beautiful everything looks inside. In the coming weeks while our contractors finalize that work, we’ll be building the registers, shelves, customer service desk and getting the store ready for our first large food deliveries around the end of the month.
“We’re excited to welcome everyone back to the building on 11/6 and celebrate the hard work that went into this project. Member-owners and shoppers have been kind and supportive all summer in the tent. We’ll have lots more info as we get closer and closer to reopening, but thank you for supporting this co-op.”
TPSS Co-Op Graphic