This member owned, locally grown grocery store would provide residents of Bristol with a stake in their own food security alternatives to gigantic corporate supermarkets. It would enlist the support of local farms, and specialty artisans in Bristol and the greater Hartford area. It would keep money in the local economy and provide incentive for more individuals and families to start growing!
The co-op in my town is beautiful and vibrant. It provides special benefits to members (who have a vote in decisions made), a cafe, bakery, deli and gallery space for local artists. It provides all the basic amenities and emphasizes buying food in bulk. Incentives for bikers and reusable tote bag shoppers. It runs workshops on cooking, as well as educational and sustainable practices like seed saving.
www.rivervalleymarket.coop
It’s like Whole Foods, except less corporate and evil, more local.
This is what downtown Bristol needs! Shouldn’t food security be our number one priority? We need to make sure we can provide for ourselves, what good is a skating rink or movie theater going to do if we can’t feed ourselves?
(This incorporates many of the ideals of a vegan / organic restaurant, but on a little bit larger scale, and again emphasize is on local, local, local)
Brilliant.
There are great resources for projects like these in New England!
http://cooperativefund.org/
Is this something we can start organizing now??
Write a blog, Wendy!
I want to work at a place like this.
Maybe the new market could start by employing the folks at DFO whose jobs just made way for McDonalds. we need to act on our desire to keep money local. Do people realize that the IGA’s of the world are disappearing (just like our bookstores and movie theaters) because we drove past them to save a buck on six packs of Coke? Start by Getting what you can from local businesses who support us, True Value, not Big box. Big Y, not Foreign owned Stop & Shop, etc.
In cooperation with the existing farmer’s market, this can be an indoor-outdoor activity that also includes opportunities for other vendors to sell their wares (crafts).
Nice idea, but keep the DFO, too.* Its prices are unbeatable–something that can’t be said about most co-ops. We shouldn’t forget that Bristol has a large low- to middle-income segment. Those people deserve to be fed, too (and ideally without having to buy a car in the first place).
* The building can go, but the store should stay.
No really, write a blog, Wendy!
I think a larger scale farmers market in downtown is a great idea. I know many people including my parents and grandparents who are very strongly in favor of the locavore movement. If this local food co-op becomes popular in Bristol then it would also mean that more money would be circulating into our local economy instead of to the grocery corporations of Pricechopper and Stop and Shop. The local food co-op seems to have more pros than cons to me!
I used to be part of a food Co-op in Brooklyn NY. They are wonderful!! Great way to get top quality food at affordable prices.
I think America needs to go back to producing more if its owns essentials. Such as food housing and transportation materials/ parts and clothing. Not to mention that Bristol not only has a history in industry, but very much in agriculture too. Alot of the land is developed now, but there are still some parcels and houses on large lots that could be used for food production. One of the old Jerome farm houses, is on over 3 acres and the owners grow fruit and vegetables and raise chickens for eggs. Expenssive eggs, but some people have told them that Whole Foods wants twice as much for eggs that don’t compare to theirs. And what about those 10-50 acre fields on Chippen hill?
I think America needs to become more concentrated on the important, simple things.
Do this and I might learn how to cook.
I absolutely LOVE this idea. A co-op is the best way to keep people involved in what they eat and where they get the food.
I would DEFINITELY join a food co-op. I lived in New York and south eastern CT and both places had co-ops. I was really surprised that there are none in this area. It’s one of the first things I looked for when I moved to Bristol