Lakewinds Natural Foods has purchased two acres of land in Richfield for a new store. The purchase price was $1.1 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq, which represented the co-op.

The land is located at 6400 Lyndale Av. S. on the site of the former Lyndale Garden Center, which closed in 2006. The new store is expected to open next spring.

This will be the third Lakewinds store in the Twin Cities -- two others are located in Minnetonka and Chanhassen.

The co-op started in 1972 in Minnetonka as a buying club, then became a co-op in 1975. Today there are more than 17,000 members. The stores specialize in natural and organic foods with nearly a third of its products coming from local sources.

C&W/NorthMarq's Deb Carlson represented Lakewinds Natural Foods in the transaction.

Janet Moore covers commercial real estate for the Star Tribune.