After decades of operating as a beloved fixture in the Austin community, the Wheatsville Food Co-op on Guadalupe is being edged out by the city's ambitious light rail project, Project Connect. General Manager Bill Bickford confirmed that the grocer is planning to close the doors of its flagship store by December 31, 2026, because of complications related to Project Connect's infrastructure overhaul.
According to an Austin Eater report, the store that has stood at its North Campus location since 1976 won't be renewing its lease due to the city’s rail plan, which includes running a rail line through Guadalupe Street. Bill Bickford states, "While this project is in the public interest, it will also curtail our ability to operate in this location." As the project will use the major street's middle lane, the large trucks from their primary suppliers would be unable to access the delivery area, making it "impossible for the large trucks our primary suppliers use to access the delivery area," Bickford writes, effectively rendering the business unable to receive products and operate as a grocery store.
Despite the hurdles, it's not all sour grapes for Wheatsville. Bickford expressed their support for Austin's public transit expansions in a KXAN interview while acknowledging that this development is an "unintended consequence" of city growth. However, the reconfiguration of Guadalupe will prevent drivers and pedestrians from accessing the store directly— a significant blow considering that a major portion of their business comes from the neighborhoods north of the store which will not cross to access the store at the nearest light rail crossing points at 29th and 34th streets.
As a consequence of its location shutting down and acknowledging over a decade of declining sales with 2013 annual sales at $18.6 million dropping to $9.1 million in 2023, the co-op is contemplating a pivot in business strategy. Wheatsville has proposed three potential futures including focusing on its South Lamar location, and relocating, or shifting to "significantly smaller stores" scattered across Austin. In the face of increased competition in the natural and organic grocery market, Bickford told KXAN that this move could help Wheatsville "thrive into the future," catering "even more Austinites than we do today."
Currently, Wheatsville boasts over 28,000 members, all of whom were informed of the upcoming closure via email, as Rita Daily, Wheatsville’s marketing director, noted in a statement obtained by Austin Eater. While the South Lamar location will continue to operate, the iconic original store's eventual closure marks the end of an era for the Austin community that has supported it since its inception in 1976. Pressing forward, Bickford and the Wheatsville team aim to keep serving Austinites through an adapted business model in tune with the changing cityscape.
