Mississippi Market, St. Paul’s premier natural and organic food cooperative with more than 9,000 member-owners, will open a new store at 1500 W. 7th Street (just east of West 7th Street and Interstate 35E) on Thursday, July 16. At 13,345 square feet, the new store is triple the size of the Mississippi Market located at Randolph and Fairview avenues, and it includes several new features, such as:
- Full-service deli with juice bar, hot bar and salad bar
- Full produce department with expanded cooler space and an ice table
- 470 square feet of classroom/meeting space with demo kitchen
- Staffed health and body counter
- Indoor seating area for 30 people
- Outdoor seating for 10 people
- The new store is replacing Mississippi Market’s Randolph location, which will close on Sunday, July 12. The location at Selby Avenue and Dale Street will remain open.
“We are so proud of the new Mississippi Market on West 7th,” said Gail Graham, general manager. “In addition to providing access to organic and local foods, this new location will become a gathering place for the West End neighborhood just like our other stores have for their respective communities. It’s fitting that we open this new location the same year that we celebrate our 30th anniversary – it’s a sign of commitment and service to our loyal customers, and we look forward to another great 30 years and beyond.”
The new store is built “green” to LEED-Gold standards, and includes eco-friendly features, such as:
- A high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that will use 42 percent less energy to maintain an ambient environment
- White roofing for climate control, energy conservation and reduced heat-island effect
- A heat recapture unit to reduce the amount of energy required to heat water in the building
- Eleven skylights and abundant windows for natural lighting
- Daylight-harvesting controls that automatically dim lights to conserve energy on sunny days
- A “Stormtech” underground water retention system to capture water runoff and divert it to rain gardens, instead of the sewer
- Rain gardens and permeable pavers to reduce runoff into storm sewers
- Sealed concrete floors that will not require waxing or chemical solvents for cleaning
- A shower in the staff restroom to encourage biking and walking to work
- Low-VOC paints and adhesives
- LED lighting in new freezers and walk-in dairy cooler
- Marmoleum counters (a natural linoleum product made of linseed oil, resins and wood flour)
- Refurbished counters for the customer service desk, as well as a reconditioned bulk cooler and two re-used produce cases
- Double the amount of existing bike racks and reserved parking for hybrids and compact cars
- 75 percent of all construction waste was recycled
These eco-friendly features result in remarkable conservation, both environmentally and financially. Specifically, Mississippi Market expects to achieve:
- 42 percent less energy usage as compared to a conventional building of the same size and usage (based on findings from Xcel Energy)
- 26 percent savings on energy costs, mostly from natural gas usage
- 527.9 tons per year in savings of carbon dioxide emissions (by comparison, in 2008, Mississippi Market used 866 tons of carbon dioxide at their Selby store and 354 tons at Randolph)
Mississippi Market has chosen not to pursue LEED certification at this time. They have instead chosen to allocate those funds to the addition of more green features than would have been possible otherwise. “Even though we’re not registering for LEED certification now, it was important to us to build our new store as if we were,” Graham said. “Should we choose to register for LEED certification in the future, we already have 41 points out of 100 on the LEED ratings system.”
The public is invited to help Mississippi Market celebrate the opening of the West 7th Street location on opening day, Thursday, July 16. The festivities will begin at 10 a.m., and will include:
- A Peace Pole dedication ceremony, featuring Twin Cities dignitaries, such as St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
- Refreshments from Mississippi Market vendors
- Ongoing mini-classes throughout the day, such as “How to Shop at Mississippi Market,” “Local Foods: What’s in Season?” and “All About Organics.”
The Randolph store will close on Sunday, July 12, after 18 years in its Highland Park location. The public is invited to attend a closing ceremony on Saturday, July 11, from 1-4 p.m. to say goodbye, share stories and memories in a special Mississippi Market “Story Booth” and to be a part of the formal “moving of the Peace Pole” ceremony at 3 p.m.
Consumer owned and operated since 1979, Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op is St. Paul’s premier destination for natural foods and health products. Furthermore, Mississippi Market is an institution where like-minded families and individuals can come together and celebrate the joy of eating locally, healthily and responsibly. Mississippi Market is a Certified Organic Retail Operation that strives to provide high quality, fair-priced goods and services, promote cooperative principles, and work toward a sustainable local economy and global environment.
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