PCC Community Markets, the largest community-owned food market in the U.S., will open its relocated Kirkland store on Wednesday, March 2. The new store is less than a mile away from where the co-op opened its second location back in 1978.
Located at 430 Kirkland Way, the new store is 30 percent larger than the old location at approximately 19,000 square feet, allowing the co-op to offer more of its organic, fresh, local, seasonal, and sustainable products.
“This will be a special place located right next to the Kirkland Performing Arts Center, Transit Center, swimming pool, and playfields that will allow us to serve Kirkland for another 40-plus years to come,” said Mike Stampalia, Kirkland PCC store director, in a statement.
In the co-op’s commitment to support its local communities, PCC partners with nearly 50 local food banks and nonprofits that each play a critical role in the Puget Sound region’s emergency food system. Since 2018, when PCC began tracking, Kirkland PCC has donated approximately 400,000 meals to Kirkland Hopelink and CRN.
PCC’s new Kirkland store is the fifth co-op location to pursue the Living Building Challenge Petal-Certification by the International Living Future Institute, the world’s most rigorous green building standard. To meet these standards, PCC took many steps that included:
• Recycled & Repurposed: Many of the store fixtures were built with recycled materials and repurposed equipment from other PCC stores when possible.
• Reduced Energy: The new store has more than three times the amount of windows, which brings in more natural daylight and significantly reduces indoor lighting energy use.
• Low-Impact Refrigeration: This location uses a carbon dioxide refrigeration system that boasts 3,000 times less of a global warming potential than the synthetic refrigerants used in most grocery stores.
In addition to these initiatives, the store will feature five columns with hand-glazed ceramic tiles in the store’s seating area by artist Mary Iverson, representing “World Tablecloths.” This work celebrates the cultural diversity of Kirkland, helps the co-op meet the beauty requirements of LBC Petal Certification, and aims to inspire and spark discussions.
Related: Aldi Expands Across Southeast; Meijer to Open Small Format Store.