Harvest Co-op Market’s South Street store will permanently close its doors in April, according to a letter from the board of directors posted on harvestcoop.com.
“After thoughtful discussion and careful consideration, we have decided that it is in the overall best interest of the co-op to close the South Street location,” the letter states. “Due to increasing overhead costs, continued sales decline and the challenges of operating at its current location, it is no longer financially viable to keep our beloved store open.”
The 57 South St. location opened in 1998, after Harvest bought a previous grocery store there called Arborway Natural Foods. The store will continue to operate until mid-April. Then it will shut for the store’s lease ending at the end of the month.
The decision to close comes after a Jan. 5 co-op private membership meeting, held in JP, where the store’s lease was discussed. The meeting reportedly drew a large crowd.
“While it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our South Street store, we are excited about the future of Harvest and focused on reconnecting with our community members. We plan to engage in consistent and transparent communication with our community to learn how we can best fulfill the mission of our cooperative: to build a vibrant community and healthier world by selling natural and organic food and bringing the benefits of cooperatives to our members,” said the letter.
Harvest has another, newer JP location at 3815 Washington St. in Forest Hills. It also has a store in Cambridge. For more information, visit harvestcoop.com.