AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin-based grocery store may have to close its location near the University of Texas campus, after serving customers for more than 40 years.
Wheatsville Co-op said it has been facing many challenges at its Guadalupe location, and it will not be re-signing its lease, which ends on Dec. 31, 2026.
Bill Bickford, Wheatsville Co-op’s general manager, said he’s always felt a connection to the store.
“I started as a part-time cashier in 1999. I've held a number of roles between that to the one I hold today, and it's been a great ride,” Bickford said.
But now, Bickford said the light rail construction project coming in a few years will make connecting with customers difficult. He said the store is co-owned by 29,000 Austinites who keep it open and are committed to serving the community.
Customers like Courtney Kurtz, who said the co-op is her main grocery store. She said she admires the store’s mission and the focus on plant-based foods, but her favorite part of the store is the people.
“The staff here is amazing,” Kutz said. “Every single time, it cheers me up to shop here.”
Longtime customer and co-owner Tony Cantu agrees.
“When I moved ... that was one of the first things I did was become a member because I really like the store,” Cantu said. “When you’re a member, they make you feel like family.”
But Bickford said Project Connect won't be compatible with customers trying to get to the property, for both shoppers and suppliers. The Austin Transit Partnership is working on Project Connect to design and expand the city's light rail system. The first phase of it shows that it will run through Guadalupe, right in front of the store.
“Due to the blocking of the center lane and Guadalupe, southbound ... for customers will be impeded,” Bickford said. “Because the majority of our shoppers live north of the store, that will be a significant sales impediment for us.”
Bickford said it will interrupt deliveries too. Suppliers currently have to back up across Guadalupe to get to the store to drop off supplies, which won't be possible after the light rail construction. He also said that early drawings of the light rail plan show the crosswalk outside the store would be removed. According to Bickford, the next nearest crosswalk would be a few blocks away.
“If you look at any grocery store, you'll notice that ease of access to get in and out is an important factor in their ability to serve their communities ... If we were at an intersection ... proposed station, that might be a different story. But being mid-block, there's not a lot of solutions that we think are going to work for access to the store,” Bickford said.
Bickford said business has already declined at the store over the years. He said in 2013, sales at the Guadalupe location were $18,611,109. Last year, the store made $9,132,304, which is more than half the peak revenue at the site lost in a 10-year span.
“We don't know that we would be able to weather that through the construction period,” Bickford said.
The Austin Transit Partnership told KVUE that the project is several years away from a final design, but said the railway will have no conflict with Wheatsville Co-op's parking or pedestrian access. The group also said the store would be near a planned station, so it will bring lots of people to the area.
“We ultimately support Project Connect's vision for a more connected Austin,” Bickford said. “Public transportation is how many of our shoppers access the store ... So, we are focused on moving forward on smaller format stores that will allow us to serve more neighborhoods and Austinites."
According to Bickford, Wheatsville's first priority will be to secure at least two locations where they will build smaller stores near the current Guadalupe location, so they can keep serving the customers in the area. Then the company can look into expanding its stores anywhere people want them.
“We think that pivot is going to be how we will thrive into the future and how we can better serve our community moving forward,” Bickford said.
Bickford said the closure is still more than two years away, so there’s plenty of time to shop there.