| Place a Classified | Subscribe today | July 6, 2009 |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Food co-op marks one year
catello Co-op Food Market celebrated its first anniversary Saturday with Flea Market & Festival.
“We have been thrilled with the success we have had the first year,” said Marlys McCurdy, owner of Angels and Olde Lace and a co-op board member. “The co-op is a year old and we are still on our feet.” In fact, the co-op has 850 members, which McCurdy points out is far less than the actual number of people who are members, because the $150 lifetime membership fee is per household. Saturday’s event, which ran from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., was a chance for the group to let people know it is still thriving.
It was also a way to help people learn where the co-op is located. “The most common statement we hear is ‘I have heard of the co-op, but where is it?’” said Gary McCurdy, Marlys’ husband.
Gary and Marlys helped coordinate the festival, but were also selling some of their antiques and collectibles at the event. Marlys said she expected about 500 people to attend throughout the 12-hour event, but believes as many as 300 people had already come through by 12:30 p.m.
“It’s been a steady crowd all morning,” she said. The event featured numerous booths and live music in the parking lot of Kinport Junction, home of the co-op, and on the street in front of the building, located at 815 S. First Ave.
Kim Brown, board chair of the co-op, said the business is continuing to thrive, but some additional shoppers are needed to make the store self-sustaining. “We have enough members that we are elated,” Brown said. “We have more than most co-ops start with. I would just like to see more of our members shop here.”
Brown said that about 150 to 160 members shop at the store on average each month. To be self-sustaining, the store needs about three more shoppers each week, or about $350 in additional weekly sales.
“We don’t even have a third of our membership shopping here regularly,” she said. “If we could reach that, it would be perfect. What would be ideal is if we had about 200 shoppers each month.” Once the co-op reaches that level, Brown said they can begin to branch out into providing some education programs such as how to cook gluten-free foods and alternative health care.
While she continues to hope more customers will remember where the co-op is located, she said local farmers have found the store and are bringing in their crops to sell. “There were a lot of farmers who didn’t know if this would come to fruition this summer,” Brown said. “Now that they see we are still going, they are coming to us.”
Several local farmers are dropping off fresh crops twice weekly, she said. The Pocatello Co-op’s hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those interested in membership information can contact the co-op at 232-2181. Article RatingReader CommentsSubmit a CommentCommenting RulesWe encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.
|
|
Comment
Rate
Report a Comment
