After 45 years, Austin's beloved Wheatsville co-op closes its Guadalupe store Sunday
Illustration: Press Pass USAAfter 45 years in business, Wheatsville Food Co-op's Guadalupe Street store in Austin is shutting down permanently on Sunday, October 25 — leaving just one store left for the community-owned grocer shoppers have called “better than Target.”
The store at 3101 Guadalupe Street, a few miles from the University of Texas campus, has been a neighborhood fixture since 1981; the co-op itself opened in March 1976 thanks to a group of students. It is the only retail consumer food co-op in Texas, with more than 29,000 member-owners.
General manager Tanya Carney said the board debated closing for several years. “The neighborhood has shifted a little bit, and the increased occupancy costs and our declining sales really have just not made it a sustainable space for us anymore,” she said. The co-op also cited uncertainty about its ability to operate through anticipated construction along Guadalupe Street, part of Austin's planned light-rail project. The lease officially expires December 31, and the store is closing about two months early to allow time to move equipment to South Lamar.
Shoppers have already seen changes ahead of the final day: the deli is no longer active, most supplements are gone, and discounts on remaining merchandise will continue through the coming days, with pantry staples available until the end of October. The co-op's South Lamar store at 4001 S. Lamar Blvd. will remain open — and its beloved Mangiasaurus sculpture, on top of the Guadalupe store since 2007, will move there, with community members invited to watch the crane lift at 10 a.m. on closing day.
Sources: Community Impact (Oct 13, 2026); CultureMap Austin (Oct 2026); The Sun / KVUE (Oct 24, 2026).
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