Soft and Grand Opening Details
From the Beginning
Over the past few years, the Dorchester Food Co-op has been tirelessly working to perfect every detail of the coming physical location. With over 1,600 member owners, and thousands of donations raised from the community, we’re beyond excited to finally be opening the doors!
Store construction has included ups and downs and getting the correct licensing and certificates from the city. Our opening has been delayed beyond what we expected. But, as the horizon for opening nears, we wanted to share everything we know right now about what lies ahead.
“Soft” Opening
Dorchester Food Co-op will open its doors for a “soft opening.” This means the doors will be open and the shelves will be stocked with items available for purchase. Our staff will be perfecting your in-store experience. Please share your helpful feedback with us so we can ensure we all start off on the right foot together, heading into our grand opening. As of this post, we are expecting to soon get the go-ahead from the City to stock and set up final touches inside the store for a late September soft opening.
We’ll email everyone on our email list and post to social media (follow us on Facebook and Instagram) to let you know exactly which day the doors open as soon as we know it! Updates are likely to happen fast now, so make sure to follow us and sign up for our newsletter since we may not know until the night before or the day of, depending on how long it takes to receive our last minute fresh, perishable items and stock shelves!
On the first few days of our soft opening we’ll be giving away free tote bags (while supplies last) to thank you for coming in, so swing by early.
You’ll be able to shop the store’s wide selection of groceries from fresh produce, to meats, to vegan options, to the bulk food section and more. While our Co-op is open for everyone to shop, new customers will also have the opportunity to become member-owners after experiencing what the Co-op is all about.
Grand Opening Festivities
Once we’ve been open for a few weeks, we’re going to celebrate even more, with a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting. You’re invited!
This celebration will take place in October. Mayor Wu will join us for a ribbon cutting, we’ll have music, giveaways and sample foods from vendors. You’ll also see the sunflowers we planted out front to brighten our space and echo our values of sustainability, growth, and community fostering.
You’ll also be able to shop the store and check out all our products and offerings if you haven’t already. Grab some food from our cafe and juice bar while you mingle with your neighbors, community-members and fellow Co-op supporters.
The opening celebration will create an opportunity for the community to come together, check out our Dorchester Food Co-op, and celebrate the store's long-awaited official debut.
Whether you’ve been with us from the start, or are just now jumping in, one thing has always been true: we are by and for the community. You’ve all made this dream a reality, and we are beyond excited to share this celebration with you.
Make sure you’re on our email list to be first to be notified about the date for the doors opening and to get the official invitation to the grand opening celebration!