BETHLEHEM, Pa.- The Bethlehem Co-op Market vowed not to set another opening date for its grocery store until its leaders were certain they could pull it off.  

Well, they’ve set another date.

The co-op issued a news release late Monday afternoon, saying the long-awaited brick-and-mortar store at 250 E. Broad St. will open for business on Dec. 5.

But the public will be able to get a first look inside the store- and even find some items on their shopping lists- earlier than that.

Preview markets will be held on some Thursdays and Saturdays, beginning on October 1, where anyone (not just co-op members) can shop with some of the local vendors on Thursdays, purchase pre-filled grocery grab bags on Saturdays and take a tour of the store.

“Reaching this milestone is the result of many years of commitment from so many people who believed in the idea of a community-owned grocery store in Bethlehem and helped bring it to life. Now we get to welcome people into the store, fill it with activity, and begin doing what we’ve worked toward for so long,” said Bethlehem Co-op Market Board Chair, Todd Mertz, in the news release.

Preview Markets will take place on these Thursdays from 4–7 p.m.: Oct. 1, Oct. 15, Oct. 29, and Nov. 12.

The Saturday previews are happening on every Saturday from Oct. 3-Nov. 14 from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.

How did we get here?

Plans for the full-service, 7,000 square-foot grocery store were first announced in 2021, ten years after the co-op itself was born. Construction began in 2022.

But several planned opening days never panned out, with the co-op facing increasing scrutiny and criticism over each missed deadline. Finally, last December, the group said it was “committed to sharing a date only when we are absolutely confident every partner, contractor, and funder is aligned.”

The 1,750+ member Bethlehem Co-op has received more than $3 million in taxpayer dollars to support the new store, including a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant in 2021; a $100,000 state grant in 2022; and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from the City of Bethlehem.

In addition, each member (the co-op calls them “member-owners”) must pay a one-time $300 fee to join. That money is used to support the grocery store project, but it’s also considered equity, or an ownership stake in the co-op. 

The co-op’s leadership blamed a number of unforeseen challenges for the delays in opening the store, including supply chain issues tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, rising labor costs, and complexities included in the fine print of a $2.9 million federal grant. The grant was a reimbursement grant, meaning the co-op had to spend its own money first before requesting repayment from the government.

Last year, the co-op launched what it called a Sustainable Future Campaign with a goal of $1.6 million, which is what the group estimated it would cost to open the store and keep it afloat for at least a year.

The co-op provided construction updates on its website, but the Store Progress FAQ page hasn’t been updated since June, when leadership said refrigeration installation work had been completed and only a small amount of interior finishing remained on the to-do list.  

Previously, the co-op’s monthly board meetings were open to the public, but, in August, the co-op’s board voted to limit attendance to member-owners.

Ready, set, shop

But now the co-op is looking to the future.

“We’ve received this question more times than we can count,” Mertz said, in a video accompanying Monday’s announcement, “and that is, when is the store going to open? Well, now you’re going to get the answer. The Bethlehem Co-op Market will open on December 5.”

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds, who also appeared in the video, called it an “exciting day” in Bethlehem.