After 28 years in a location described as cramped, undersized and without adequate parking, the countdown is on to moving day for the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op to its "bigger, better" store at 28th and R streets."I'm exhausted. I'm ready to get it open," said Paul Cultrera, the soon-to-retire general manager of the Co-op.Cultrera said the new two-story, 42,000-sq. ft. location will replace its current 16,000-sq. ft. facility in a matter of weeks."Our current site, we've been there since 1998 when we did $2 million a year, and now we're doing $33 million a year. So, we are way under capacity for what we're doing," said Cultrera.The new site will also address customers main complaint about a lack of parking, said Cultrera. The new site will more than the double the current 54 available spaces. Even more spaces will be available on nights and weekends at a neighboring parking garage.The new location was also designed to not only be bigger and offer more services, but also to be more energy efficient, said Sam Kingore, the building's architect."We're going to save the Co-op 45 percent or more a year on their energy bill than a standard store that would go in right now with a similar size operation," said Kingore.The new store is expected to open in a few weeks and it will also create 50-60 additional jobs, said Cultera.As for Cultrera, who is scheduled to retire October, he's not yet too emotional about this six-year project finally reaching completion."I've been doing this so long, it's hard to stay emotional, but we'll see what happens in the final days," said Cultrera.

After 28 years in a location described as cramped, undersized and without adequate parking, the countdown is on to moving day for the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op to its "bigger, better" store at 28th and R streets.

"I'm exhausted. I'm ready to get it open," said Paul Cultrera, the soon-to-retire general manager of the Co-op.


Cultrera said the new two-story, 42,000-sq. ft. location will replace its current 16,000-sq. ft. facility in a matter of weeks.

"Our current site, we've been there since 1998 when we did $2 million a year, and now we're doing $33 million a year. So, we are way under capacity for what we're doing," said Cultrera.

The new site will also address customers main complaint about a lack of parking, said Cultrera. The new site will more than the double the current 54 available spaces. Even more spaces will be available on nights and weekends at a neighboring parking garage.

The new location was also designed to not only be bigger and offer more services, but also to be more energy efficient, said Sam Kingore, the building's architect.

"We're going to save the Co-op 45 percent or more a year on their energy bill than a standard store that would go in right now with a similar size operation," said Kingore.

The new store is expected to open in a few weeks and it will also create 50-60 additional jobs, said Cultera.

As for Cultrera, who is scheduled to retire October, he's not yet too emotional about this six-year project finally reaching completion.

"I've been doing this so long, it's hard to stay emotional, but we'll see what happens in the final days," said Cultrera.