Linden Hills Co-op Reborn

[Guest guest]

Yesterday I walked to the Linden Hills Co-op, forgetting that they had moved.

So, I walked on to the new location, on the corner of Sunnyside Avenue and 44th

St. (Sunnyside is the funny little street just south of 44th St. which joins it

from France Ave.) Privately, I had been resistant to the idea of the move.

This is my favorite co-op and I loved the small, sleepy, quiet way of it, the

quiet neighborhood, the friendliness and the familiarity. I didn't want it to

change. As I stepped across the shiny new threshold, I found that I'd stumbled

onto opening day! Well, it's beautiful, and the only changes I experienced were

great ones. was still there at the information desk, to greet people

and answer our food questions and dilemmas, and I saw a lot of the same staff

faces. Things I noticed were that the store is definitely bigger and of course

spiffier. The isles wider, the selection better. In particular, the meat and

seafood area, which used to be comprised of a few cramped shelves and a freezer

unit, now sports an actual " fresh " counter, supplying a staff person, and

selections of fresh salmon, shrimp and other meats. Additionally, there is a

large self serve area, as well as a frozen section. I noticed, for example,

that they now grind Thousand Hills beef, and it's available in larger (2-1/2lb.)

packages. There's also a much larger cheese case, and again, a staff person

there to assist. The deli is larger. Everything is larger, actually, except

the parking lot, which appeared to be a little smaller. Could just appear that

way since the building is stuffed into a smallish, oddly shaped lot. The

surrounding area is definitely more congested, pleading the case for walking,

biking and scootering errands, at least until the snow flies. The co-op is now

neighbors with France & 44 Liquor Store, and Sunnyside Gardens, among others.

Despite the fact that it's now an additional mile further from me, I still

prefer it to any other, and now it's new and improved! Check it out!