In a letter that is sure to strike terror in the hearts of some near-east-siders, the manager of the Willy Street Co-op floats the idea of moving its flagship store to the 800 block of East Washington Avenue, the site of a proposed commercial development by Urban Land Interests.
Earlier references suggested the co-op was looking for an additional site. Anya Firszt does note in the letter, posted online, that there are no plans to abandon the storefront at 1221 Williamson St., which she says could continue to operate as an office, production kitchen or specialized store.
Firszt writes that there have been ongoing discussions on whether to extensively remodel the store or open another location on the near east side of town.
The store is cramped, short on parking, and usually the site of traffic snarls because the one entrance is on busy Williamson Street. Firszt notes the site "needs a new floor, a better dock and many cosmetic improvements to continue serving owners in its current form."
Still, she adds, remodeling would be cheaper than opening a new location.
Firszt says discussions were suspended two years ago when the co-op was focused on launching its west-side location, but have resumed now that the new store is up and doing well.
