Bed Stuy Nonprofit Aims to Open Food Co-op in Central Brooklyn in March 2015
A nonprofit that works on housing and food issues in Crown Heights and Bed Stuy plans to open a members-only food co-op modeled on the one in Park Slope in early 2015. The Park Slope Food Co-op is helping the group get started, reported DNAinfo. This is certainly not the first attempt to build a…
A nonprofit that works on housing and food issues in Crown Heights and Bed Stuy plans to open a members-only food co-op modeled on the one in Park Slope in early 2015. The Park Slope Food Co-op is helping the group get started, reported DNAinfo.
This is certainly not the first attempt to build a food co-op in central Brooklyn, but with the paid staff and resources of the Brooklyn Movement Center and the help of the Park Slope Food Co-op, it’s likely to succeed, said an exec at the Brooklyn Movement Center in an earlier story.
The goal is to make fresh food available at affordable prices. The co-op will be members only and will have a work requirement. All members will also be owners. The group is hoping to open in March 2015. They have not yet selected a location or a name.
Do you think this time it will fly? Would you join?
Members of New Food Co-Op Vote to Model it on Park Slope Market [DNAinfo]
Photo by wallyg
I don’t understand why they choose to go with the “members only” approach. The Flatbush Food Coop in Ditmas Park allows nonmembers to shop there at full price. Paying member get a discount. Working members get a bigger discount. Seems like you get a much broader community base that way, and perhaps it would be less nutso than the Park Slope Food Coop.
I’m guessing it has something to do with the demand to shop there. There’s an overwhelming number of people willing to work at the Park Slope location in order to shop there. Opening it up to everyone would make it burst at the seems.
Yes, but will there be that sort of demand at this new coop? Seems they will need a broader base to get started.
very good point – my main reason for joining the park slope coop over greene-hill was that whenever I past greene-hill they weren’t open and the shelves looked sparse
even though greene hill is about 1.5 miles closer to me, I joined the one in park slope because i didn’t want to make the commitment of time and investment if I wasn’t sure about its “success”… years have gone by and greene-hill doesn’t seem to have taken off… so I’d be wary about another members only option within the same general 3 mile radius..
in contrast, the coop on cortelyou st in flatbush has both options (member or non-member) and looks like its “succeeding” just fine
on the other hand, once you are a coop serving members and nonmembers you can’t switch to members only so i guess I understand their logic. it sounds like it really is a question of the demand out there.
ha – seriously. is it still there? i’ve never seen it open
Yes it’s still there! And we are growing everyday! I don’t know what “success” would look like exactly, but I think it is! The people work hard and are committed to making it work, we have a great selection of food, our space is growing and we just opened for shopping for a 4th day a week! DH, I don’t know when you walk by, but I suggest you check out our shopping hours and stop by! I hope you would see we are not a joke. 🙂 We maybe aren’t as big as PS but they have a lot of years on us! For being around for only 2ish years, I think we’re doing a great job!
It sounds to me like you might not have pursued arrangements that would have helped you a lot. For example, you could work on a freelance schedule, which allows you to not have a set shift and to rack up shift time when you’re free so that when you’re busy at work you don’t fall behind. Also, if you call in at the beginning of your shift and tell your shift supervisor you can’t make it, you only have to do 1 makeup. The 2 makeup rule is for people who completely blow off their shifts and don’t give any notice. I put off joining for many years because of the types of things you mentioned but if you just poke around a little, you’ll find very reasonable accommodations. Sorry you had that experience. I’ve only been a member for a couple of years, but I think it’s great, even though very crowded at certain times, and the people super friendly with plenty of “we” spirit.