Co-op Cafe and Grocery Store a Decade in the Making Opens in Kensington Next Month

After 10 years of trying to make it happen, River Wards neighbors are finally opening the Kensington Community Food Co-op, a grocery store, all-day cafe, and bar serving Kensington, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and Port Richmond. The new venue at 2670 Coral Street — where Frankford Avenue, Lehigh Avenue, and Coral Street meet — is member-owned but anyone can shop there. It’s slated to open late March.

The idea for the co-op was first floated by community members in 2008. The location of the KCFC was announced back in spring 2014, but it took another several years for the funding to come in — about $1.9 million.

When it’s up and running next month, KCFC will include a grocery store with an emphasis on locally sourced products, a cafe serving coffee and prepared foods, and a bar, with beer and wine available for drinking onsite or takeout. There’s a patio for outdoor dining and an adjacent parking lot.

Members are co-owners of the store and get a say in how it’s run (there’s also a board, which members elect people to, or serve on themselves) . It’s $200 to sign up, and you also get discounts at neighborhood businesses through the Shop Local program.