co-op rant

Tossin a little history into the mix for you. The first retail co-op was started in Roachdale, England by textile workers faced with miserable working conditions and low wages. They decided to pool their scarce resources to access basic goods at a lower price. Initially, there were only four items for sale: flour, oatmeal, sugar and butter. In the 1970′s there was a resurrection of the idea, the same sense of community.  People could not find the food they wanted and they got together to open stores in their communities that would sell the things they wanted to buy.

These natural food co-ops were successful at doing just that for many years. The phenomenon did not go unnoticed. Today we have natural foods in mass market retailers of all sorts and co-ops are facing competition that forces evolution. I believe it is impossible to continue in the mindset that our purpose is to sell natural foods.

So what is it about the co-op model that people find compelling?  Why do they continue to care?  Why do we have (at our one little co-op) about 100 people a month who sign up to own a little piece of this business? They tell their friends about it and bring them in the store. They post pictures to Flickr and announce to the world that they bought coffee at the co-op.  I reflect on these things and wonder what it is that brings them to us and what we can do to grow in this world that is changing faster than we can comprehend.

Somehow the co-op creates meaning in the lives of the people who shop there. That might mean having the food they want to eat.  It might mean offering great service that makes them valued. It might be creating a space they want to be in where they see people who are important to them. It helps people become what they dream of being. People define themselves by their actions and by the communities they are a part of and the co-op is full of health and happiness.

Co-ops are out there trying to create sustainable local economies and local food networks that will persist when large global networks start to erode. (I really don’t think shipping strawberries from China to your grocery store shelf is sustainable, do you?) We offer coffee and chocolate that although imported (and perhaps this too will come to an end someday) supports the development of local economies in nations around the world that have been exploited for centuries (would you like some child slavery with your cup of coffee?)

People relate to this – by purchasing these goods, they are doing good in the world.  By coming to a business that is owned by neighbors and friends in the community they are supporting something that feels human, real, connected. . . They see their friends and neighbors when they shop.  The store smells good.  It makes a statement about who they are and this is important.

The board of directors for our co-op thinks about the world they want to live in.  They talk about ways we can contribute to creating it. Profit – yeah, we do that.  We need to have a business that makes good fiscal sense so we can stay in business and keep offering great jobs to our community. The amazing thing about the business model is that our success and evolution lies in this idea of giving back, of creating something that builds a community people want to live in.

I think about Dark City – the meaningless existence that is presented.  Even though people don’t know exactly why things are not ‘right’ they are aware of it.  I think of fairy tales, old and new, and the little towns people live in.  Towns where people know their neighbors and smile at each other when they walk down the street. Is this what we really want?  Is there something about being human that compels us to idealize and find or create this?

I was visiting with a co-op friend yesterday, we were at the newest store.  He pointed to the awning in front of the building, it covers the whole sidewalk.  He smiles and says, ‘I want that!’ The awning that creates a community space and echoes the arcades and covered sidewalks of old european cities.  This is a pattern that I believe strongly in, it creates buildings that people want to be near.  Perhaps it recalls something that has become instinctual, seeking shelter in the overhangs of a cliff face.

It amazes me how people are drawn into the awning and into the building.  I am so happy when people tell me how much they enjoy the space and want to build it in their communities. In those moments I know that we have created something that moves beyond providing food to our shoppers.