The Ypsilanti Food Co-op's main shop.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Local food activists and residents have described the the City of Ypsilanti as a "food desert," but with its latest expansion, the Ypsilanti Food Co-op is taking a step toward significantly improving residents' grocery options.

The co-op, limited to 1,600 square feet until it expanded in 2005, will soon operate in the entire first floor and part of the upper level in the building at 312 N. River Street. Sales there have doubled over the last five years. Along with two previous expansion, the latest renovation will give the co-op a total 5,800 square feet of space including its shop floor, stock area, work area, kitchen, bakery and office.

“We feel like we’re at a point where we need to expand to be able to provide more products, and more products means being better able to serve the community and members,” said Corinne Sikorski, the co-op's general manager. “We’ll be a better grocery store when this is complete.”

What the expansion will mean for customers is twice the capacity in the dairy cooler, and additional space in the beer, cold drink and pop coolers, all of which will afford a wider and better stocked selection.

The backstock area in the produce section will also hold more fruits and vegetables, allowing staff to offer produce more consistently. The project's second phase will see renovations and expansion of the bulk foods backstock area, as well.

Plans also call for opening up the wall dividing the main store from the bakery — shoppers currently have to walk outside the main shop and in a different door to go there — and create a window so shoppers can see the wood-burning oven and kitchen and order breads and baked goods.

The Ypsilanti Food Co-op

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

The additional space will also allow the co-op to install a small seating area for relaxing and to offer more prepared snacks, soups, salads, sandwiches and other prepared foods it currently offers in a small cooler.

The expansion will finally make the co-op one contiguous business throughout the bottom floor of the building, which will allow for greater efficiency.

With the physical expansion and Sikorski’s expectation of eventually doubling sales comes the need for more employees. The co-op currently has 30 employees and Sivorski also expects that number to eventually double.

The first phase of work is expected to conclude in September, though renovations are taking a little longer than expected because of unanticipated repairs the old building needs. The store may periodically close for short periods of time while renovations are happening.

Sikorski said several factors have contributed to the co-op’s growth and success in recent years. The addition of the bakery brought new customers, as did the store's presence in the downtown Ypsilanti Farmer’s Market since 2006.

The co-op also benefited greatly from the increasingly popular local foods movement because it stocks local foods as much as possible.

“A lot of the success has been because of interest in supporting a local business, and not only are we a local business, but we sell a lot of local products,” Sikorski said. “Produce, beers, dairy — we buy from local sources whenever we can. The more we buy from more local sources, the more we grow and have more resources and can improve the store, so it has kind of had a snowball effect."

The co-op’s expansion announcement comes several weeks after Cafe Ollie announced plans to open a "Made-in-Michigan" specialty foods store in Depot Town. With the co-op's expansion and Cafe Ollie, the recent relocation of Harvest Foods to the community, three farmer's markets and downtown's Dos Hermano’s, Ypsilanti may no longer be the food desert it once was.

Sikorski described a synergy among the businesses.

"If people can buy more of their food here then they are more likely to stay in the community instead of driving somewhere else," she said. "I’ve been here for over 30 years and it feels positive, like we're growing. And I feel like a lot of other businesses in Ypsilanti are doing well, too. There's a positive attitude in our community and we’re a part of it."