The Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative is looking to expand into Ozaukee County for its fourth retail store location, as it has made an offer to acquire property in the city of Mequon at the northeast corner of Mequon Road and Wauwatosa Road.
The proposed location would primarily serve the city of Mequon and the town of Thiensville, and is expected to draw owners and shoppers from neighboring communities such as Germantown, Menomonee Falls, Cedarburg and Grafton.
Pending planning commission approval, construction would begin on an all-new building featuring many of the green and sustainable design characteristics of the existing Outpost stores.
MSI General of Oconomowoc is the company contracted for the design/build and is the firm responsible for all of Outpost’s design/build and renovation projects. The 1.89-acre site would include a 16,000-square-foot building and parking for approximately 70 cars.
Outpost has experienced steady growth in the past four years and the time is good for opening a fourth store, according to general manager Pam Mehnert,
“For many people, the terms ‘co-op’ and ‘community’ are synonymous. The cooperative business structure, itself, is about people coming together locally to best meet their own needs and interests. Should our plans for this location go through, it will reflect the best of Outpost with the local influence of Mequon,” Mehnert said.
The 42 year-old natural foods cooperative operates three stores: 100 East Capitol Drive, Milwaukee; 7000 West State Street in Wauwatosa; and 2826 South Kinnickinnic in the Milwaukee neighborhood of Bay View.
In spring 2012, Outpost opened a Market Café in the main lobby of Aurora Sinai Medical Center.
Several local vendors located within the city of Mequon already have relationships with Outpost, including Barthel Fruit Farm, La Campagne Bakery, Environmentally Sensitive Solutions, makers of Simply Safe eco-friendly, non-toxic home cleaning products and Retailworks, Inc., the design firm responsible for all Outpost store interiors.
If built, the co-op hopes to offer additional local goods from area farmers and producers.
A landscape company currently leases the property that is zoned for commercial use. The projected opening date for the store is late spring 2014.
