By Matt Stanley/General Manager
Published in the Co-op’s Winter 2017 Newsletter
I recently ran into Sarah, a regular Co-op shopper. She was excited to share with me her recent visit to Lexington Co-op in Buffalo, New York. I was excited to hear this, as Lexington Co-op is a favorite of mine for several reasons, and I haven’t even been there before!
Sarah noticed that they had the same Co+op Deals and many of the same products as our co-op. The store was abuzz with customers and staff. She said the retail area was larger but that it was similarly crammed with great products everywhere she turned.
We know our store and parking lot are getting pretty cramped, especially during peak times. For staff, the back rooms and office are often challenging to keep organized and difficult to navigate. Space is the main reason we are seeking to expand our store in the near future. And our pending expansion and current sales growth is the reason I love Lexington Co-op.
Lexington achieved an expansion in their recent history, and we’ll be seeking to emulate them soon. Their co-op stands as an example of successful, well-planned growth. And it also continually reminds me of the importance of collaboration among cooperatives.
For their expansion, the Lexington Co-op issued preferred shares to their owners and raised $2.5 million for their project. We’ve been working with them to plan our own campaign – they’ve shared campaign strategies and materials. So they’ve set a great example and exemplify collaboration.
I know lots of folks are wondering when we’ll launch our own capital campaign. Lots of pieces have to come together for us to launch the campaign. But trust me, when we do launch the offering (most likely in 2017), Co-op owners will not be able to miss it! We’ll make a pretty big deal out of it, since it will be key to successfully building our own new co-op.
Oh, and the great deals that looked awfully familiar to Sarah? Co+op Deals are the result of a huge collaboration between 151 food co-ops operating over 200 stores across the country. Our small store in Astoria is able to offer competitive pricing (not just Co+op Deals) because we pool resources with other food co-ops! And our collaboration with these fellow cooperators does so much more. My favorite work with the staff of these other stores is the opportunity to learn from each other and develop our careers in the challenging but often rewarding natural foods world.
Finally, if you check out the Lexington Co-op webpage, you’ll see that they are already working on opening a second store! They surely are committed to growing the food cooperative movement! May we do the same in our store’s future!