Hello Prairie Food Co-op community! Welcome to the GM Junction for November 2023, where I update you all on the progress being made at our site at 837 S Westmore-Meyers Road, and also some of the behind the scenes work going on.
Exterior renovations continue at our site as well as the rest of Eastgate Center. New fascia installation is complete! Painting is about 90% complete with only a few details left to follow up on. The Landlord has also completed installing the new roof, which is awaiting inspection. There has been significant progress on the exterior since my last update and we’re hoping to have this phase of construction finished by the end of the year.
We continue to work with a local sign company to nail down our final storefront sign design. Much thought has been put into this process so PFC can properly stand out with a warm and welcoming sign that will make Lombard residents proud. Once we have approved a final design we will share a rendering with you all!
Wondering where all of our equipment is located? Though we still have some equipment to secure, a large portion is already purchased and being stored off-site with our equipment vendors. Huge thanks to them for allowing us to utilize their spaces. I have also recently secured space locally to help store additional equipment and supplies (think shopping carts, cafe tables and chairs, etc).
Our interior store design process is gaining traction and close to being finalized. Our excellent site architect, Megan with 845 Design Group, has shared a few 3D renderings of the interior, please see pictures below! Very exciting to see the space come alive!
We have recently achieved a huge milestone in regards to our federal grant and have moved onto the next phase, which is finalizing disbursement details and getting the grant money flowing! Securing grant money is a very complicated process that takes the knowledge and patience of many professionals, who all have to work in sync with each other. Many of these professionals are PFC volunteers with full-time careers, and I can’t thank them enough for their efforts. You’ll learn who these rockstars are soon!
I recently attended a Container and Indoor Gardening workshop at Barn Owl in Carol Stream, who collaborated with The GardenWorks Project out of Wheaton. In attendance was Teri Wood, Executive Director of The GardenWorks Project, who recently became a Prairie Food Co-op owner! Check out The GardenWorks Project, an incredible organization whose mission is to promote organic suburban agriculture to improve the well-being of our community, the environment, and those facing food insecurity. Great to see you Teri, and thank you for becoming a PFC Owner!
On Saturday, November 18th, from 11 a.m - 2 p.m, we will be participating in Ace Hardware’s ThanksGrilling Event, located in the Eastgate Center parking lot at 837 S Westmore - Meyers Road in Lombard. Please stop by, enjoy some food and say hello! PFC staff, including myself, will be onsite.
And as promised, here are a few (very preliminary) 3D renderings of our interior:
Aren't these exciting! Thank you for taking the time to stay up-to-date on all things PFC.
See you in the aisles!
Jason Krapausky
General Manager
Prairie Food Co-op