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Grange is going big on Highway 62 By Buffy Pollock Oct 30, 2022 12:30 AM A A 5 View all photos The new Grange Co-op store in White City will include a Melello’s coffee kiosk in the main store area, a large training center for employees and two DIY dog wash stations. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] A new Grange Co-op is under construction in White City. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] Grange Co-op officials are hopeful the new store will open by the end of the year. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] The new Grange Co-op store will cover 22,000 square feet, more than twice the size of the previous White City location. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] A new Grange Co-op is under construction in White City. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] Grange Co-op officials are optimistic their new 22,000-square-foot retail space being built along Highway 62 in White City will open before the calendar year runs out. The two-story structure, at 7700 Crater Lake Highway, will include an upstairs business complex for corporate offices, a Melello’s coffee kiosk in the main store area, a large training center for employees and two DIY dog wash stations. The new location will be the largest Grange store in Jackson County. The old White City location, which was already too small when it opened in 2008, could fit inside the new store. Twice. “The new store is going to be roughly 22,000 square feet, and the current one we’re in, in White City, is 9,500 square feet,” said Grange Co-op marketing director Jason Wall. “The nursery area, which is not included in that 22,000 feet for the building, is another 15,000 square feet at the new location. The current store nursery, at our old White City store, is only 2,800 square feet.” Wall said original plans were for opening day to happen sometime in October, but some slight delays had pushed the project out just a tad. Located on a 7.8-acre parcel near Division Road, the new store is a type of building “kit” that was delivered on site and assembled in pieces. Grange Co-op has featured a livestream, an online camera showing work as it takes place on the construction site, since the project began, with concrete pouring in February and initial building construction this summer. The new location will feature a drive-through warehouse concept, which will allow purchases to be made directly from a customer’s vehicle. Business offices, currently located at the Grange Co-op purchasing and distribution facility along Highway 99 in Medford will inhabit the upstairs. Wall said Grange officials were eager to have business offices in the same space as a retail store for a variety of reasons. “We’re cramped in our current offices, but we also want to be part of a retail store so we can test things out on the retail front,” Wall said, noting that purchasing and distribution would remain at its existing site, along Highway 99 in northwest Medford. “We’ve grown so much. Another thing we’re really excited about is we’ve included a large training room in the new location, so we can train our employees and give them the knowledge they need to pass onto our customers.” The “DIY dog wash,” Wall noted, will be an all-inclusive dog wash space with shampoos, grooming tools and blow dryers within arm’s reach of two dog-washing bays. Melello’s Coffee Roasters coffee kiosk, Wall said, will be a fun, new concept for the Grange, allowing customers to enjoy their favorite coffee drinks, whether they’re picking up necessities or wandering the store to look at a much-expanded array of products. Zachary Barrer, co-owner of Mellelo’s, said the pairing with Grange Co-op was a fun opportunity for Mellelo’s, which he took over last year. Operating a coffee bar inside a Grange will be a first for both Mellelo’s and the Grange. Barrer said initial communications with the Grange were to discuss creating a custom brew for the company. Grange Co-op CEO Neil Itzen was first to propose the idea of serving coffee inside the retail location. “We all got together, just chatting about the coffee and some roasting and bagging ideas that I had, and Neil was like, ‘This all sounds great, but I want to put a coffee stand in our new location,’” Barrer recalled. “I thought, ‘Well, you don’t have to twist my arm; let’s do it.’” Barrer said he was excited to offer locally founded, locally roasted product inside the new retail space. “Based on numbers they’re giving us for how busy they are at the old location, I think it’ll be more than doable for us,” Barrer said. “The Grange has been very accommodating and very forward-thinking. I think their focus is for customers to come in and get some coffee and ultimately stay in the store a little longer. It’s a new process for us but hopefully something that will prove successful and that we’ll be able to replicate for other Grange locations. It will add value for customers that come into the store.” Wall said Grange officials were excited to offer the new White City location in time for the Christmas holidays and eager to offer their tried-and-true approach to serving community members since the cooperative formed in 1934. “We’re definitely chomping at the bit. The new store is going to be very similar to Central Point and south Medford in regards to product selection. Our White City store was so small. Our customers would go there, and we wouldn’t always have everything in stock, so they would have to drive to Central Point or south Medford or, potentially, a competitor,” Wall said. “We’ve been growing and changing, but we’re also still going to continue to do the things that work and the things we need to do to support the community. White City has had such a huge need for us to grow for so many years now.” Regardless of store size, Wall said Grange employees still will be the best feature in any location. “Our employees are definitely our biggest asset. There’s a knowledge base there that you can’t replicate,” he said. “Most of our customers have a location and a person they go to when they need help with something, whether it’s Don at Central Point or Logan in south Medford. You’re lucky to see somebody to even talk to at Lowe’s.” He added, “Our employees are what will always set us apart, in any location.” To see a livestream of the new store being built, see grangecoop.com/whitecitylivestream Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.