Get ready for Father’s Day at the co-op! In addition to grilling meats and veggies and tasty treats, pick up some locally made gifts. Show the father figures in your life you appreciate them with Oregon-themed gifts, including mugs and tea infusers from Beachigirl Pottery and Woodcraft, candles and soaps from The Magical Bee and bouquets ready to go in Mason jars. We even have surfboard themed cutting boards and plenty of cards.

Hungry and headed through Astoria? Stop by Astoria Co+op at 2350 Marine Drive. From the best salad bar around, to our popular taco/burrito bar, sandwiches, wraps and sweet treats, we are your one-stop shop for good food fast. While you are here, find Astoria’s best selection of organic groceries, local produce and fresh meat and seafood. Everyone welcome!

By: Matt Stanley, General Manager

Hello Astoria Co+op Members!

I recently attended a meeting of our national cooperative where one of the topics centered around Cooperative Principle 5, which illustrates the importance of providing members with information that helps them contribute to developing their co-op. That inspired me to increase my communication and transparency with you! Every quarter moving forward, I will send out business updates to keep you informed of the current state of the co-op.

There are undoubtedly many positives to focus on at our co-op. We have a strong reputation, and our external reviews and customer surveys reflect immense love for Astoria Co+op. We recently won the Reader’s Choice Best Grocery Store and Best Customer Service awards. Our new Owners Save More program has resulted in record new member sign-ups – nearly 250 new members this year! We have a committed leadership team and Board of Directors, and a highly talented and engaged staff.

While we couldn’t have predicted a global pandemic, we did everything possible to mitigate its effects. We invested in the safety of our customers and staff. We provided hazard pay to staff (and ultimately made these increases permanent — our median hourly wage for non-salaried employees is $17.50, with generous benefits). We worked hard to keep the shelves stocked during supply shortages and welcomed many new shoppers to our community-owned store.

Although we continued to grow sales, we did not meet our sales projections in 2022 and are also behind the forecast for 2023. Recently, the federal support provided to help small businesses weather the pandemic ended, our rent has escalated per the terms of our lease, and many of our other expenses have increased due to high inflation. For the previous 18 months, we have steadily relied on cash reserves to meet our monthly obligations. We must reverse this course.

We’ve initiated a plan to reach financial sustainability, including improving operating systems, increasing productivity, and pausing discretionary spending. Although we maintained elevated staffing levels throughout the pandemic to manage isolation and quarantines, we are now working to balance our staffing size to sales volume while maintaining our high service standards. We continue to innovate around promotions that drive sales and customer excitement.

Engagement from our owners is another critical aspect of reaching our financial goals. How can you, our owners, help us on our path to financial sustainability and beyond? First and foremost, we need you to make the co-op your primary stop for groceries, spending your grocery budget at our store as much as possible. You can encourage your friends and family to support the only community-owned grocery store in the region. Stronger sales growth is a necessary component of our success. Every shop, whether small or large, will help. We could improve our financial position in an average week if our 4,100 weekly shoppers spent just $5 more with each visit!

Be sure to shop our Co+op Deals (with an extra 10% off for owners), Fresh Deals, and everyday low-price Co+op Basics. Take advantage of our weekly e-coupons (you can sign up for our e-newsletter here). And please let us know if you need something the co-op doesn’t carry.

Astoria Co+op is your co-op. As owners, you have helped build it into the fantastic place it is today. Together, we can ensure this vital community asset continues to thrive.

Thank you for supporting our local food co-op. I look forward to sharing more next quarter.

In cooperation,

Matt

Mother’s Day is coming up on May 14 and the co-op is your one-stop shop for gifts, food and beverages to help you celebrate. Show the mother figures in your life you appreciate them with a variety of presents, like natural bath and body care items, earrings, towels, apparel, cards, flowers and more.

Kate Egge, the owner of Wild Chick Organics, plans to give out samples of her skincare products from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday. Test them out and then purchase them for the mothers in your life!

The big, beautiful co-op you know today began 49 years ago with a tiny community store and a group of local people who valued healthy, sustainable goods. We’re celebrating our 49 years with a birthday party from 2 to 5 p.m. May 6 with live music from the Brownsmead Flats, free cake from our bakery, and free grilled sausages from our meat department.

Check out the Birthday BOGO Deals we’re offering from May 5-7:

Save the date to celebrate Earth Day at the co-op on April 22! For one-day only, all items in the bulk section will be 20% off. Our extensive bulk section allows you to get as much of an ingredient you want, or as little as you want to try in a new recipe. You can bring in your own clean container or you can buy one at the co-op so you can shop for bulk items waste-free. The first 100 shoppers of the day will each receive a free reusable bag.

Starting at noon, Becky Graham of Harvest Moon Design plans to give out free seeds and lead a garden tour and talk about attracting pollinators to your yard.

Happy 15th Anniversary of managing Astoria Co+op, Matt Stanley! Over the years, Matt has grown the co-op from a small location on Duane Street to the big beautiful store on Marine Drive that it is today. He prioritizes the staff, excellent customer service, sustainability, supporting local producers and providing healthy options for the community. Thank you, Matt!

On Monday, Astoria City Council proclaimed April 3 as Matt Stanley Day to honor his contributions to the community.

Happy Spring! We have some seasonal items in stock, including chocolates, natural egg dye kits and plenty of kitchen accessories decorated with bunnies and flowers. Pick up a Fair Trade woven basket to fill with candy and gifts!