PCC Community Markets Deepens Connection to Eastside Communities: Bellevue PCC to Open Aug. 12; Kirkland PCC to Relocate, Add Seafood-centric Restaurant

Both locations developed to meet Living Building Challenge and work with Hopelink Food Banks

(SEATTLE, July 22, 2020) – PCC Community Markets (PCC), one of Seattle’s original grocers and the largest community-owned food market in the U.S., today announced a dual commitment to continued growth on the Eastside. The new Bellevue PCC, located at 11615 N.E. 4th St., will welcome members and shoppers starting Wednesday, August 12, and Kirkland PCC will move to a new, larger location in 2021. With the opening of Bellevue PCC, the co-op grows to 15 locations across the Puget Sound with stores in four Eastside communities, including Redmond, Issaquah and the current Kirkland location.

REVITALIZED AND RELOCATED KIRKLAND PCC

Opened in 1978, Kirkland PCC was the co-op’s second store and stands in its original location. The new store — currently known as 454 Kirkland Way — will be 30 percent larger at approximately 19,000 square feet. In addition to the sustainably sourced products members and shoppers trust PCC to deliver, the location will also include a seafood-focused restaurant similar to the one found in Ballard PCC. The store is being developed by MRM Capital, with PCC’s architect and general contractor of record, MG2 and Woodman Construction, respectively. The new store joins Bellevue, Ballard and West Seattle in its goal to meet Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal Certification, the world’s most rigorous green building standard.

BELLEVUE PCC GREEN BY DESIGN & GREENS YOU CAN COUNT ON

In pursuit of LBC Petal Certification, the Bellevue store will feature unique elements, including sustainably sourced, nontoxic building materials and reclaimed materials — shelving and deli fixtures — from other PCC stores. The new store also uses energy-efficient systems that lower climate impacts, including the use of carbon dioxide refrigeration — a greenhouse gas that is three thousand times less potent than the synthetic refrigerants used in most grocery stores.

As part of the Beauty Petal Certification for LBC, the new store also features an art installation by local artist, Shogo Ota, called “Murmuration.” The work showcases a group of birds that while small individually, become mightier when they fly together, forming a Southern Resident Killer Whale.

“I saw such a parallel between the way the birds come together to make an impact with the way that PCC supports local communities: caring about people on an individual level and believing in the impact this can have on a grander scale,” said Ota. Local artists showcased in other PCC locations include Jite Agbro, Kyler Martz and Celeste Cooning.

With a long-standing commitment to the neighborhoods in which it operates, the co-op will expand the PCC Food Bank Program by extending its partnership with Hopelink to include Bellevue Hopelink. Said Lindsey Robinson, Bellevue Hopelink Food Bank Manager: “PCC has been working with Hopelink for decades through our partnerships in Redmond and Kirkland. We appreciate being able to extend the relationship to help provide for our local community here in Bellevue.”

PCC has among the highest product standards in the country, stocking its shelves with products made without harmful artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, nanotechnology or synthetic biology. The co-op’s experienced staff can help in navigating the shelves stocked with more than 7,000 organic items and just over 9,400 local products. PCC also has one of the cleanest selections of health and body care products, turning away more than 500 ingredients allowed at other retailers. More than 95 percent of PCC’s produce selection is organic; its fresh meats are 100 percent organic, non-GMO or grass fed; its fresh and frozen raw seafood is responsibly sourced as defined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program; and, whenever possible, the co-op sources its products from local producers, farmers, ranchers and fishers.

Using those same ingredients, PCC chefs make salads, soups, hot entrées and side dishes fresh from scratch daily onsite in the PCC Kitchen. Members and shoppers at the Bellevue location can enjoy the following:

• Full-service meat and seafood, sustainably sourced and cut-to-order.
• A carefully curated selection of 100% Pacific Northwest-produced spirits to complement the co-op’s collection of exclusive wines and local beers and ciders.
• PCC’s large selection of bulk foods and bulk health and body care items, including a prepackaged selection that encompasses everything from flours, rice and nuts to new nonfood, self-serve items like body lotion, shampoo, conditioner and hand sanitizer that are mostly produced in Washington and Oregon.
• Espresso and bakery counter with homemade, self-serve bakery items like PCC’s scratch-made chocolate chip cookies and fresh-baked artisan bread.
• Made-from-scratch deli offerings that can be taken to go:
  • PCC Pizzeria showcasing fresh-baked pizza made in-house;
  • Hot and cold prepackaged favorites to-go like PCC Grain Bowls, Macaroni and Cheese, Oven Roasted Organic Chicken and a selection of antipasti;
  • Meals for two that come with a main and a side dish featuring Chipotle Salmon Cakes, Linguine with Meatballs, Parmesan Chicken Fingers and Turkey Meatloaf;
  • Family-sized salads and ready-to-heat casseroles, including Black Bean Enchiladas and Organic Strawberry Spinach Salad.
• PCC’s own private-label collection of 12 product lines sourced from local producers like PCC Organic Grass-fed Yogurt made by Pure Éire Dairy in Othello, Wash., PCC Organic Pastured Eggs from Wilcox Farms in Roy, Wash., as well as almost 200 supplements and vitamins produced with the highest quality standards and packaged in recyclable brown glass to stay fresh.
• An affordable line of certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified pantry staples from Field Day, including more than 150 items from canned beans and extra virgin olive oil to peanut butter and oatmeal.

Bellevue PCC will be run by Store Director, Tami Littlefield, who has been with the co-op for four years and is currently the Store Director at the Issaquah location. Tami brings more than 35 years of experience working with premier food retailers in the Pacific Northwest and is an enthusiastic and energetic leader with an unwavering focus on providing a positive customer experience.

The new Bellevue location will adopt all the co-op’s health and safety protocols to provide a safe shopping environment for staff, members and shoppers. When it is deemed safe to conduct meetings with groups, the store also features a large studio to host  PCC Cooking Classes that are currently being held online. The approximately 26,000-square-foot store will open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12 and is easily accessible through a variety of low-carbon transportation methods, including foot, bike, bus, and soon to be Link Light Rail. In addition, there are hundreds of parking spots on two levels of the garage, including plug-in stations for electric vehicles. As always, every PCC location welcomes co-op members and nonmembers, alike. Learn more about membership and follow the co-op on Instagram.

About PCC Community Markets

Founded in Seattle in 1953, PCC Community Markets (PCC) is the nation’s largest community-owned food market with an unmatched enthusiasm for making food from scratch. PCC is a haven for those who share a dedication to fresh, organic, seasonal food that is sustainably sourced from local producers, farmers, ranchers and fishers. With an active membership of more than 77,000 households, PCC operates 14 stores in the Puget Sound area, including the cities of Bothell, Burien, Edmonds, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Seattle. Seattle stores are in the neighborhoods of Ballard, Central District, Columbia City, Fremont, Green Lake, View Ridge and West Seattle. The co-op also plans to open new stores in Bellevue, Madison Valley and Downtown Seattle.

In 2019, PCC gave more than 65% percent of pretax earnings to members and the communities it serves, including nonprofits around the Puget Sound area such as PCC Farmland Trust, FareStart, Ventures, and Long Live the Kings.