Celebrating the Opening of La Montañita Co-op at Avanyu Plaza
The new La Montañita Co-op at Avanyu Plaza opens in Albuquerque’s North Valley after years of collaboration and community anticipation.
Last week, community members, project partners, and neighbors gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new La Montañita Co-op at Avanyu Plaza in Albuquerque’s North Valley. The ribbon cutting marked the culmination of several years of collaboration and persistence — and the beginning of a new chapter for the community-owned grocery.
Located at the intersection of 12th Street and Menaul, the 18,000-square-foot store represents a partnership between La Montañita Co-op and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The new location becomes the first food co-op in the United States to operate on tribal land, reflecting shared values around community, local food systems, and long-term stewardship.
The celebration brought together many of the people who helped make the project possible. Speakers reflected on the cooperative spirit that has sustained La Montañita for nearly fifty years — from tribal members, owners, supporters and shoppers to local farmers and producers who supply the shelves. Representatives from the project’s lending partners spoke about the persistence and collaboration required to secure financing and move the project forward.
The event also highlighted the importance of the new store to the surrounding community. Neighborhood representatives shared their excitement for a grocery that values local food, supports community connections, and provides a welcoming place for residents to shop and gather.
A Collaborative Effort
For SMPC Architects, the project has been a rewarding collaboration with a dedicated team of partners. SMPC served as tenant architect for the store, providing design, construction documents, and construction administration for the interior build-out, including grocery and merchandise areas, kitchen and deli spaces, dining areas, offices, and back-of-house operations. The building shell was designed by Studio Southwest Architects, with signage design by Baker Architecture + Design and construction by Jaynes Corporation.
Like many projects that serve a broad community, the path to completion included challenges along the way — including a complex financing process and several delays. Throughout that time, the project team and the co-op remained committed to the vision of creating a grocery that reflects the cooperative values and community spirit that have defined La Montañita since its founding in 1976.
The ribbon cutting celebrated more than the opening of a new building. It recognized the collective effort of many individuals and organizations working together to create a place that will support local food producers, provide access to fresh and nourishing food, and strengthen connections within the community.
With the doors now open, the Avanyu Plaza store begins its next chapter — welcoming shoppers, supporting local producers, and continuing the cooperative tradition that built it.
The new La Montañita Co-op is located at 2500 12th Street in Albuquerque, just across from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Photography by D’Ali Roberts
