Coal Valley residents are looking forward to shopping at this community’s new full-service Fareway Store as soon as fall of 2026 following a ground-breaking ceremony last month for the 17,000-square-foot grocery.
The Fareway to be located on the southeast corner of First Street and U.S. Route 6 is a dream come true for leaders of this Quad Cities area village of more than 3,800 residents that straddles Henry and Rock Island counties.
“This has been my No. 1 priority for the community since becoming mayor in 2017,” Michael Bartels told the QCBJ on Tuesday, Dec. 2. “Bringing a quality, dependable and family-owned business to our community is truly amazing and very exciting.”
The mayor said in an email “I would like to thank the Fareway team for working with me and never giving up on our community for the past several years. I’m honored and truly grateful for their investment in our community. We look forward to the grand opening next year!”
The project was first announced by Fareway in the spring of 2024.
In addition, he said, “Not only will Fareway provide quality meat and grocery, it will also provide jobs, revenue and fill a void that has been needed for well over a decade. Not only will Fareway provide groceries for Coal Valley residents but it will also provide for other surrounding communities and unincorporated areas which in turn will bring more people to Coal Valley to support other businesses in the community.”
The new store will join Fareway’s existing stores scattered across the QC region.
Partners make it go
Fareway Stores CEO Reynolds W. Cramer said during the Friday, Nov. 21 ground-breaking ceremony that he is pleased to bring a Fareway to the village and surrounding area.
“Communities depend on a local grocer to offer high-quality products at affordable prices with unmatched service,” Mr. Cramer said. “We look forward to offering these qualities to Coal Valley and area residents with a new Fareway store.”
That store, the company said, will feature Fareway’s signature offerings. That includes fresh, highest-quality meat, a full-service butcher counter, farm-fresh produce, low and competitive prices, and exceptional customer service that includes to-your-car carryout. Customers also will enjoy conveniences including FastLanes self-service checkout, online shopping, and curbside pick-up through https://Shop.Fareway.com.
Mr. Cramer also lauded “city officials and other local leaders for helping make this project possible.” Mr. Bartels also thanked village board members for their support and Coal Valley Administrator Penny Mullen for “her hard work in pushing the project forward.”
At the groundbreaking, the mayor also thanked the Fareway team and the residents who supported the project.
“Together, we’re bringing a full-service, quality grocery store that will benefit Coal Valley for many years to come,” he added then. “Beyond fulfilling our need for a grocery store, Fareway’s presence has the potential to stimulate economic growth by generating jobs, supporting local businesses, and fostering further development in the area.”
Ms. Mullen echoed those hopes at the long-awaited ground-breaking ceremony.
“I’m also excited to see the future economic development that could and will happen due to Fareway,” she said. “We have a few properties for sale within (tax increment financing) and (business development) districts that we are already seeing interest in due to the announcement of Fareway and I expect this to increase as construction begins.”
