Good luck in the grocery store graveyard, AKA North Minneapolis.
Consumer grocery co-ops in this area tend to be a bastardation of the concept, pretty much providing high priced organic food to their affluent members. They have a market niche in upscale neighborhoods like the Wedge and have done well there but less well elsewhere. Attempts to develop these sort of yuppie co-ops have been less successful in working class areas like the Northeast- despite heavy subsidy from the neighborhood group the co-op there is having a hard time competing against similar co-ops and the organic food departments of much larger retailers. Thusly a yuppie style food co-op for the less affluent Northside is doomed to failure and should not receive a cent of public money.
In my travels in the Dakotas recently I was pleased to find the traditional co-ops who have evolved to meet their contemporary member's needs. Besides offering the 2% SoyDiesel my car craves many offered coffee and hot food as well as hardware and lawn and garden supplies. The Cenex co-op in Berthould is an excellent example, offering fuels, farm supplies, car and truck parts and repair, hardware, hot chicken and coffee, cold and hot subs, and a relaxing place to sit down and enjoy eating same. They also have a campground and I believe are open 24 hours to serve travelers on lonely US 2. Larger quantities of farm supplies and ag fuels and chemicals are available at their elevator along the BNSF "High Line" tracks a few blocks away.
If the organizers want to start a Northside co-op that serves the community's needs like Berthould's needs count me in!
hanging on in Hawthorne,
Dyna Sluyter
On Tuesday, November 23, 2004, at 11:32 AM, Angela Dawson wrote:
NEWS RELEASE
November 23, 2004-For immediate release
For more information contact: Christopher DeAngelis (612) 331-5346 or Antonio Rosell, Community Design Group (612) 298-8301
NORTHSIDE FOOD CO-OP EFFORT TO LAUNCH DEC. 2 AT UNITY HOUSE
MINNEAPOLIS - A community informational meeting to discuss forming a food cooperative on the Northside will be held December 2, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. at Unity House, 2507 Fremont Ave N. A dinner with food donated by local farmers will be provided.
The Northside is one of the few areas of Minneapolis that does not have a co-op today, despite the first modern co-op in Minneapolis being founded by the Black Panthers on Plymouth Avenue in the 1960s. This effort aims to restore that proud history and reconnect Northside residents to their food supply and economic well-being.
During the meeting, residents will discuss the basics of food co-ops, and will consider how a co-op could benefit ourselves and our neighbors. We will talk about how to structure a co-op so that it meets our needs, including access to affordable, wholesome food and the opportunity to reinvest our money in the Northside. Members of the press are welcome to attend.
For additional information, please see http://www.c-d-g.org/ati/coop or contact Christopher DeAngelis at (612)331-5346 or Antonio Rosell at (612) 298-8301.
###
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! http://my.yahoo.com
REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
