Pictured are (left to right): Cindy Larson, marketing director at Santel Communications, Lindy Peterson, Mayor of the City of Woonsocket, Gay Swenson, President of both the Woonsocket Development Corporation and Woonsocket Community Club, Jody Schmiedt, manager of Woony Foods, Bruce Schmiedt and Kandy Schmiedt, both owners of Woony Foods, Lisa Snedeker, branch manager of the Woonsocket DFCU, Dan Cumbee, President-CEO, DFCU, and Dick Reider, member of the Woonsocket City Council.
Woony Foods, along with Dakotaland Federal Credit Union, hosted a ribbon cutting and official grand opening of the locally owned and recently remodeled grocery store located at 719 East 7th Street in Woonsocket. City Officials and community members turned out in strong support along with the staff from both resident businesses for refreshments, drawings, food samples and even wine tasting to celebrate their reinvestment in the community.
This past June the grocery store closed, creating a hardship for many in the area due to the distance in commuting to a grocery store. Dakotaland Federal Credit Union, housed in the facility since it was opened in 2004, purchased the building and Bruce and Kandy Schmiedt of Woonsocket acquired the grocery business.
“Our community had become very dependent on having a local grocer and we felt if we opened Woony Foods the community would support our efforts,” stated the new owners. To date the Schmiedt’s assumptions appear to be true.
According to Woony Foods Manager, Jody Schmiedt, “traffic has increased consistently since we’ve opened and the wonderful comments we have received regarding our remodel have made all the work worthwhile.”
The Schmiedt Family and the Credit Union joined forces to make some much needed renovations to the property. The shared improvements to the building and business included an upgrade to the lighting, repairs to the cooler system, maintenance to the building, expansions to the parking and new signage. Patrons will surely notice the wide aisles and bright lighting as they enter the store. The home delivery service on Thursdays is also a welcomed addition to the customer-friendly features the grocery store has to offer.
As the current owner of the building, Dakotaland Federal Credit Union has taken a vested interest in the success of their tenant business.
“We are excited to open our facility to locally owned/operated business and are in hopes Woony Foods will grow and prosper here in Woonsocket.” commented Branch Manager, Lisa Snedeker.
The Credit Union intends to maintain their space within the grocery store and have expansion plans to accommodate additional services in the future.
