On a hot Sunday afternoon, the looming green dinosaur on the roof of the Wheatsville Co-op catches the eye of people passing by. Attendees line up for the chance to celebrate the community grocery store’s golden anniversary.
The Wheatsville Co-op, located at 3101 Guadalupe Street, commemorated its 50th birthday on March 29. The free event invited the entire Austin community to enjoy live music, wrestling, food and complimentary beer.
“This month, we really wanted to do something big,” general manager Tanya Carney said. “You only get one 50th anniversary, and we wanted to do it here at the Guadalupe store because we will be closing the store by the end of the year. We wanted to do something fun, something different.”
Wheatsville opened on March 16, 1976. The only retail grocery store co-op in Texas, Carney said the store is owned by the community with owners from all over Austin. Board member MeriJayd O’Connor became part of the Wheatsville community for that reason.
“I’ve been a shopper for years, since I came to Austin in ‘95,” O’Connor said. “The reason why I decided to transfer to (The University of Texas) was because I visited Wheatsville and I just felt really comfortable. I could find the food that I wanted and over the years, (I was) always meeting up with people in the aisles and feeling a sense of community. You know that your dollars are staying in the local community, so I wanted to be a part of that.”
The event brought in fans of the store and of the performers. Living in Austin since her time at UT, O’Connor said the event brings her back to when she first moved here.
“It’s like the old days,” O’Connor said. “We’d have the art festival in the parking lot, and we’d have music events and people gathering, having a good time. … People are really into (the wrestling), and then enjoying our food, because food is what brings us all together. … When we’re able to, the Co-op can do so many good things for the community, and we need to keep shopping at the Co-op.”
Wheatsville announced the closure of the Guadalupe location back in 2024, with doors set to close at the end of this year. Carney said this stems from economic factors in the community, such as a decline in sales. Despite their second location on South Lamar, frontend manager Robert Villarreal hopes that the event donations help put off the closing of the Guadalupe location.
“We give back to the community whenever there’s time,” Villarreal said. “As much as the community loves us, we love them right back.”
