So Close You Can Almost Taste It
Wild Onion Market — the long-awaited co-op grocery store in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood — still has a few months of fundraising and build-out before it can open its doors in a strip shopping plaza at 7007 N. Clark St.
But with much of the shelving and infrastructure already in place, the store’s management opened the doors Saturday (February 24) for a preview party. They were rewarded with a big turnout that includes a number of the 1,860 members who own shares in the co-op, and other curious potential future owners and shoppers.
The attendees were rewarded with a tour of the work-in-progress store, samples from vendors whose products may be available in the market when it opens, and the opportunity to meet Mary Meyer, Wild Onion Market’s co-founder, vice president and Board member.
Food co-ops are notoriously difficult to start in Illinois, in large part because of a restrictive financing law enacted in 1915. Mary was among 30 community members who convened in 2012 to discuss creating what then was known as the Rogers Park Co-op, and she proud wears the title of Owner #1.
Lisa Gibbons, also a member of the Wild Onion board, led off each of the three tour groups with an overview of the store’s principles.
We're going to have sustainably grown produce on the shelves, prioritizing local farmers. We're going to have local vendors on our shelves, we're going to have local wine and beer and spirits over in that corner. We're going to accept SNAP and Link benefits…
So how did we land at this site? We did a very comprehensive market study of where we would be successful, and this site met our criteria. We had to be near transit, we had to be in a neighborhood that could accept us coming here. We didn't want to squash out other grocery stores or local bodegas, etc. We want to be partners here…
We did an owner survey and we said, ‘Hey, owners, what do you want your store to look like? What's important?’
[They said] a café, prepared food and coffee, I want to be able to come to the store and sit down with my friends and have a coffee.
Full service. I want to be able to do my grocery shopping for the week in this store. This is not a boutique store. This is a full-service grocery store.
I want to see local vendors and farmers on the shelves. And I want the space to be welcoming. We had a muralist paint that sign to define what do we mean by local; within 200 miles and we want to be very clear about that. The bananas, they're not going to be local.
I was expecting that I’d know some of the vendors sampling at the event, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Tom Rosenfeld of Earth First Farms, an organic fruit producer in Berrien Center, Michigan.
Michele Gazzolo, CEO of Fruitbelt, based in Sawyer, Michigan, which produces refreshing tonics made with fruit, honey and bitters. Michele — who I first met when she was a fellow in FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Accelerator — informed me that Fruitbelt is now sourcing all of its ingredients locally.
Phoenix Bean/Jenny’s Tofu, which is located just two miles south of Wild Onion Market.
Vargo Brothers Ferments, based in Chicago, which makes delicious pickles, sauerkraut and kombucha.
Wild Onion Market still needs to close a funding gap before it can open its doors. According to the market, the benefits of ownership include:
Your Ownership share is for your entire household and costs $250 for a lifetime Ownership.
You will be eligible to vote in the co-op’s Annual Election, where a Board of Directors is selected by Owners and other important matters are brought for a vote.
You’ll help to build a vibrant store, where you can make suggestions about what you want to see stocked.
In profitable years, the co-op can pay dividends to Owners. Before the store opens, you will have the opportunity to invest in a fundraising campaign to open our store.
Bob’s World, and Welcome to It
“God sky” sunrise, Wednesday, February 21.