Weavers Way, one of the nation’s oldest food co-ops, is expanding yet again, thanks to a $1 million state grant. At present, the outreach operates stores in Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, and Ambler. Jake Blumgart fortified his The Philadelphia Inquirer readers with the story of its expansion.

Funding from the Pa. Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) is seeding the construction of the new site in Germantown.

The popular Northwest Philadelphia Weavers Way food cooperative announced this week that it received a $1 million) grant for the construction of a new location in Germantown, less than five miles from Montgomery County’s Springfield Township.

“We knew going into this that we would need extraordinary funding because it’s a really tough time to be doing this kind of work,” said Kathleen Casey, head of development with Weavers Way.

The $1 million in support comes atop $700,000 in funding from other neighborhood grants and micro-loans and gifts from co-op members.

Weavers Way was founded in Mount Airy and since expanded to Chestnut Hill and a suburban location in Ambler.

The Germantown store will be about 6,000 square feet. It will provide 45 “high-quality” jobs, according to a Commerce Department document.

Construction is expected to begin early next year.

More on the growth of Weavers Way is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.