New Pioneer Co-op sets opening date for Cedar Rapids location

CEDAR RAPIDS - Employees at New Pioneer Food Co-op are busy stocking the shelves in its Cedar Rapids location, preparing the store for its first day.

'We're a few days away from opening the doors but it's taken us years to get to the point,” said Matt Hartz, New Pi's general manager.

The first location outside of Johnson County will open its doors on Dec. 10 at 10 a.m., the company announced on Wednesday.

The store, 3338 Center Point Rd. NE, was originally scheduled to open in early 2015. But Hartz said the grocery pushed hard to get the store open before the holidays.

'We didn't waste any time on the planning and developing of the store,” he said.

Gourmet grocery store Fresh Market opened its first Iowa location in the former Kmart spot, 180 Collins Rd. NE, in October. But Hartz said the North Carolina-based chain did not factor into New Pi's decision to move up the opening date.

The store will have about 10,000-squre-feet of retail space, similar in size to the Coralville store. Hartz said it also will sell a similar product mix as the Johnson County locations with the items 'people have come to expect from New Pi.”

But Hartz said this location will be more energy efficient, with LED lighting, a more efficient HVAC system and an efficient stormwater management system. He said in August that the store will use about half the amount of energy as the Coralville store.

Matt Steigerwald, the former head chef at Lincoln Winebar in Mount Vernon, will lead the new location's prepared food section.

'He'll bring familiar items as well as new and exciting things, some of which I'm sure will even surprise me,” Hartz said.

To prepare for the new store, the co-op opened a bakery in North Liberty this summer at 1650 Jordan St. The 6,000-square-foot facility allows the company to greatly expand its bakery capacity.

Last year, bakery sales hit $1.8 million. Store officials anticipate the new location will increase sales by about 50 percent.

Members of the food cooperative are invited to a group ribbon cutting at 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 10.

Regular store hours for the Cedar Rapids location will start on Dec. 11 and mirror the locations in Iowa City and Coralville: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.