Let's begin our tour!
Click on the Youtube link for an audio tour or read through the captions below to learn more about the store.
This is our newest and largest store. We opened in 2016 after the long-time neighborhood grocery store closed down. This store is twice the size of Willy East, and it measures in at 20,000 square feet of retail space.
Let's get started! If you want to know more about our grocery co-op, there’s no better place to look than Customer Service and the Owner Resources Area. Here we have staff that can answer questions for you and an information section for you to browse.
From the Customer Service desk, turn around and you'll find our Owner Resources Area. Find out more about our mission and the Seven Cooperative Principles, learn about your Board of Directors, write to us with your customer comment and product requests, check out our upcoming classes, and pick up brochures that might be helpful to you and your shopping experience.
A donation shelf is located on the bottom right two shelves of the Owner Resources Area where customers may leave non-perishable food and personal care items for the River Food Pantry.
Let's move on to our Produce department.
Last fiscal year, the Willy North Produce department made $2.9 million in sales, or 18.4% of total store sales.
If a whole cabbage is too much for you or you only need one stalk of celery, it's important to know that most of our produce that’s sold by the pound can be split or cut in half. Feel free to purchase just one banana or one bunch of grapes. If you only need half of a head of cabbage or cauliflower, ask a Produce staff member to cut one for you.
The majority of the produce sold annually at Willy Street Co-op is organic. If you take a look up, you'll notice we have a chart that changes weekly to indicate the percentages of local and organic produce.
Take note of the shelf tags in produce. We color code the tags to make it easier for customers to shop for what they are looking for. Purple tagged products are local, green represents organic, and orange represents conventional produce.
We define local as within 150 miles of the State Capitol building or anywhere in Wisconsin.
Our three levels of local include:
100% local—these products are completely and truly local.
Essentially local means at least 50% of the ingredients are grown or raised in Wisconsin or within 150 miles of the Capitol building in Madison.
Locally prepared means there may be ingredients grown elsewhere, but this food was processed or assembled by a company in Wisconsin or within 150 miles of the Capitol building.
We also have discount bins where ripe, ready, and blemished produce is sold at a bargain. There are two locations of discount produce. One is just for bananas and is located beneath the banana display. The other location is a full-standing display that you will notice as you walk towards Aisle 1, by the conventional produce table.
Let's move on to our Bulk aisle, arguably the most iconic area of a grocery co-op. You can find beans, grains, seeds, nuts, pastas, snacks, syrups, and oils in this aisle.
Most products in the bulk aisle are lower-priced than pre-packaged food, and you can purchase as much as you want or as little as you need. The label on each product includes the price per pound, and the PLU or price look-up code that you should write on each bulk item you purchase.
Paper and plastic bags are available for dry goods, and round plastic containers are available for liquids. These containers cost 20¢ if you fill them with dry goods.
Reused jars should be cleaned and sanitized before refilling them. The empty container should be weighed and recorded so you won’t be charged for it.
There are also funnels available to help pour bulk items into small containers without spilling.
Next to the Bulk aisle, you'll find the Juice & Coffee Bar. Here we make bottled juices from organic fruit and vegetables, and seasonal items when available. You'll find these fresh juices available in the grab 'n go cooler. Or if you're looking for a hot coffee, we also have self-serve Fair Trade coffee available.
Our Deli is a great place to pick up breakfast, lunch or dinner. We have gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, grain-free, and meat options both in the service case and at the hot bar and salad bar.
Last fiscal year, the Willy North Deli department, including the hot and salad bars, grab and go prepared foods, bakery, and juice and coffee bar made $1.6 million in sales or 10% of total store sales.
The dishes that you see in the Deli are made by our staff at our off-site production kitchen and on-site Deli staff. We have more local and organic ingredients in our Deli selections than anywhere else in the city!
Again you will see the color purple used in tags, this indicates dishes that are locally produced, or locally prepared. Owners who are interested may request our deli recipes too!
Down the line from the Deli case you'll find our Meat department. We partner with local and regional family farmers to find the highest quality, most ethical, and environmentally sustainable meat we can find. If you’re curious about animal welfare practices, check out the ‘Know Your Farmer’ page on our website. There you’ll find information from our farmers about animal treatment, living conditions, and antibiotic use.
Last fiscal year, the Willy North Meat department made $1.4 million in sales or 9% of total store sales.
From our meat department, just turn around and you will see our cheese case. You will notice that we have our cheese merchandised on both sides of the island cooler. About 80% of our cheese comes from Wisconsin and almost all the cheese we sell is free of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH).
Let’s take a stroll over to the Wellness Aisle. Head towards Aisle 1 and veer left and you will go right into Aisle 2.
Last fiscal year, the General Merchandise department made $1.4 million in sales or 9% of total store sales.
Wellness is part of our General Merchandise department which offers a variety of products, including housewares, sundries, books, magazines, newspapers, plants, flowers, supplements, and health and beauty products.
Our Willy Street Co-op-branded supplements are provided by Vitamer, a company out of California, a state which has very informative labeling laws. Using our label as a generic allows us to pass the cost savings to our customers.
We like to remind our customers to shop on Wellness Wednesday when our Owners receive 10% off Health & Wellness products on the first Wednesday of every month.
You'll find more General Merchandise in Aisles 5 & 6. Take a stroll over towards the frozen aisle to see some of the sundries and housewares in that part of the store.
Before you leave the store, head back up front, past the registers and Customer Service desk to the Commons. Take a break and have a seat and enjoy the food you’ve purchased, and read one of our informational brochures, sales flyers, or our monthly newsletter. We also have free wifi for you, no password needed! If you're planning to take public transportation, we also have a display with the local bus schedule for your convenience.
