We are in the process of planning a grocery store, but this project is about more than ending the food desert…it is about growing community, and about equity – it is about growing resilience.
The Northside Food Co-op is not your average grocery store, it is a “cooperative” grocery store, which means that it is “community-owned”.
The success of the Northside Food Co-op will be a metric of community support. A grocery store in the Northside will not happen for us, it will only happen because of us.
In this spirit, the purpose of this document is to make sure you have all of the details about what it means to be an Owner in the Northside Food Co-op, so that you can maximize the opportunity and tell everyone you know :)!
We want to hear from you! If you have not yet completed the Community Input Form to express your ideas for the future of the Northside Food Co-op, please visit the website and click the “Complete the Community Input Form” button found on the homepage.
The following are common questions people have about the Northside Food Co-op.
Question still not answered? For more information, call us at (910) 260-4464, email us at northsidefoodcoop@gmail.com, or reach out on Facebook or Instagram.
What is the mission of the Northside Food Co-op?
The Northside Food Co-op is a community-owned cooperative grocery store planned for the Northside of downtown Wilmington that will ensure food security and end the food desert, generate resilience in our neighborhoods, and enhance the local economy through equity and ownership.
What is the Co-op’s vision?
A thriving Northside community that is safe, healthy, and happy.
What is a Food Desert?
The USDA defines a ‘Food Desert’ as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food.” Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, food desert communities have very little fresh food access, and are typically served by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options.
Urban neighborhoods of color have the least availability of grocery stores and supermarkets compared with both low- and high-income white communities. (The Food Trust 2013)
People living in food deserts suffer in general health compared to populations with accessible and affordable groceries. (Campbell et al. 2020; Larson et al. 2009; The Food Trust 2013)
What is the food history of the Northside?
In 1898 Wilmington experienced what is believed to be the only successful coup d’état in the history of the U.S. The racial insurrection occured in the Northside and devastated the thriving interacial community in Wilmington that included numerous black-owned grocery stores.
The Northside economy was dominated by the railroad employers up until they left the area in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and in the 1980’s the last grocery store left the downtown area leaving the Northside a shell of its thriving past signaled by empty storefronts and run down buildings.
In 1996, a citizen group pooled money from Northside residents in order to build a grocery store, but ultimately failed to accomplish the goal. There was another concerted effort with the goal of a grocery store being built on the Northside by 2005. This effort also never materialized and today a food desert remains.
What is the history of the Northside Food Co-op project?
The conversation that started the development of the Northside Food Co-op began in April 2017. A Steering Committee guided the development of the project until the incorporation of the cooperative business in March of 2020, which established the founding Board of Directors. The Bylaws were completed in October of 2020, and the first Patron Share was sold on December 1st, 2020.
What is a Cooperative Business?
Cooperative businesses are organized under Chapter 54 Subchapter IV of the General Statutes or North Carolina that defines a “one person, one share, one vote” mandate, which means that no single person can own more of the business than any other person. The business is owned by and benefits the people who use it – the community members.
A cooperative business is a for-profit organization with a non-profit mentality. This creates particular challenges for the business in that we do not have access to the typical grant landscape available to non-profit organizations, and we are seeking a business model that can profit at all costs. Instead, we are working to diversify and decentralize Ownership and in the act of generating profits, redistribute value back into our community, effectively, as a break even enterprise.
A cooperative business is a community that comes together and organizes to build solutions to a common need through collective ownership.
How does the Cooperative business model work?
Everyone who has purchased a Patron Share is an equal Owner of the cooperative business. The essence of cooperative business organization is that decisions are made based on the principle of “one person, one share, one vote”, meaning, no one can own a majority of the business and make all of the decisions.
Instead, the Patron Share Owners make decisions regarding the development of the business by a Board of Directors that is elected by Owners who vote in Co-op elections held leading up to the Annual Meeting. The Board operates as an authority by speaking with one voice, and can authorize the creation of working Committees that aid Staff in the development of the fundraising, community development, and eventual grocery operations.
The Board operates through an established Policy Register to establish guidelines to empower the Project Manager and/or General Manager to establish healthy business operations. Because the business is community-owned, everyone is invested in making sure the business is successful. It is the essence of true community and democracy in action.
Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
Who is on the Board of Directors?
Cedric Harrison (President), Frankie Roberts (Vice President), Jordyn Appel (Secretary), Genna Wirth (Treasurer), Joe Conway, Joe Finley, Keith Rhodes, Lauren Hurley, Scott Whisnant
From complete BIO’s visit the “About” page.
Who is on Staff?
The Project Manager is Evan Folds, and Assistant Project manager is Cierra Washington.
To reach them directly email northsidefoodcoop@gmail.com or call (910) 260-4464.
How much does it cost to be an Owner?
Lifetime Ownership in the Co-op costs $100.
Do you have a payment plan for purchasing the Patron Share?
We do not offer a payment plan to purchase a Patron Share, but we do have a Pay-It-Forward program available for financial assistance to purchase a Patron Share if you are a Northside resident. Please inquire by email northsidefoodcoop@gmail.com or call (910) 260-4464.
What are the benefits of being an Owner?
Before the grocery store is opened, being an Owner allows you to be part of the grassroots effort to end the food desert and bring healthy food to downtown Wilmington.
It allows you to vote in elections and seek leadership positions by running for a seat on the Board of Directors or joining a Co-op Committee.
A cooperative business is a community of people working for the community, so it is a great way to connect with your neighbors, generate resilience in our neighborhoods, and make a positive difference in your community.
When the grocery store is opened, being an Owner will provide discounts and special offers, and allow Owners to take advantage of the amenities being planned for the grocery business and beyond.
Owners are also eligible to receive Patronage Dividends once the store is profitable.
What are the benefits of a cooperative grocery compared to traditional grocery stores?
All grocery stores bring some level of benefit. For example, “It is estimated that 24 new jobs are created for every 10,000 square feet of retail grocery space created.” (The Food Trust)
But the cultural and socioeconomic benefits of cooperative business are superior to traditional businesses. The primary difference is local decision making. The community participates in democratic governance of the cooperative grocery store through elections of the board of directors, meaning, profits are not sent out of town to corporate headquarters, instead, they are reinvested into the local community.
Big picture, profit is never put before the needs and values of the Owners. Our Co-op will create new jobs with fair, livable wages. It will support local producers and suppliers in our community, paying them fairly for their products.
Unlike conventional grocery businesses, Co-ops are owned and governed by individual Owners and rooted in principles like community, voluntary and open membership, economic participation and cooperation. Because of these principles and practices, food co-ops inherently serve and benefit the communities where they are located.
Though “local” has popped up in conventional grocery stores in recent years, retail food co-ops are leaps and bounds ahead of the pack. According to the Healthy Foods Healthy Communities: The Social and Economic Impacts of Food Co-ops study, where conventional grocers work with an average of 65 local farmers and food producers, food co-ops work with an average of 157. Likewise, locally sourced products make up an average of 20 percent of co-op sales compared to 6 percent at conventional stores.
The economic impact that a cooperative grocery store is greater than that of a traditional grocery store because a larger portion of money spent locally recirculates. For every $1,000 a shopper spends at their local food co-op, $1,604 in economic activity is generated in their local economy—$239 more than if they had spent that same $1,000 at a conventional grocer.
Who can be an Owner?
We are focusing our marketing efforts on a target area surrounding downtown Wilmington and those people who are most likely to shop at the grocery store when it is in operation, but anyone can be an Owner as long as they are a NC resident.
Can families have collective Ownership?
Yes, families can buy a collective Ownership so they can take advantage of Co-op benefits, but there will only be one vote per family unless multiple Ownerships are purchased.
Is there an age limit for being an Owner?
Member-owners can be any age, but voting rights will only be granted to those who are 18 years or older. Feel free to purchase a gift membership for your children, or grandchildren!
Will you have to be an Owner to shop at the Co-op?
No, there is no requirement to be an owner to shop at the Co-op. Owners will simply be provided special offers and discounts that will not be available to non-Owners.
What is the location for the grocery store?
The location for the full-service grocery will be located in the Northside of downtown, but the exact address is still being determined. We are in the process of conducting a Market Study that will help us define the best location for the business.
When will the grocery store be open?
The best estimate for the full-service grocery opening will be 3-5 years, or sometime in 2024. Opening is delayed for that extended periodThe reason that it takes this long is to develop proper funding and to make sure that we have adequately engaged and activated the community to get behind the project.
When a large corporation (like a Kroger or Walmart) opens a store location, they may consider possible locations for many years and take just as much time on feasibility and planning, but this is typically done behind closed corporate doors.
Because this is a community-owned project we have an open door policy on the development of the grocery store and aim to be transparent in the process. The average time spent developing cooperative grocery projects is 7 years.
What are the plans for the short term?
We are in the process of planning a Farmer’s Market and a potential Pilot Grocery organized around a Make-A-Meal model that will also include basic staple items at 1019 Princess Street sometime in 2021.
Join our mailing list to be the first to know when more information is available!
Why should people buy an Ownership now instead of waiting until the grocery store opens?
First, it indicates confidence in our future success and a level of community support that is important to our lenders and potential investors. In other words, membership equity is the basic building block of our capital foundation and is the key to bringing other investment resources on board.
The primary reason is so that we have some working capital to develop the project. Another reason is to prove to outside lenders that we have Owner commitment to the project. If everyone waits to become an Owner, we won’t have a store.
Where can I read the BOD meeting minutes and bylaws of the Co-op?
Board of Director meeting minutes and bylaws are located at the bottom of our “About” page.
What are the the Northside Food Co-op’s biggest challenges?
Community engagement and fundraising.
Our focus is on making sure that everyone in the downtown community is aware and involved in the project in some way. Help us spread the word!
And fundraising is always a challenge. Effectively, a cooperative business is a for-profit business with a non-profit mentality. In other words, the profit we generate gets pumped back into the community or to all Owners as dividends.
Because we are not a nonprofit organization we do not have access to the same type of grant landscape that nonprofits do. And because we are not posturing to profit as a corporate charter we also tend to not have the resources typically available to traditional businesses. In the short term we are relying on community contributions, and in the longer term on corporate and bank support to fund the completion of the project.
What is the best way to get involved?
The most potent way to get involved is to join the Board or a Committee, but not everyone is in a position to serve, so we have started an Co-op Ambassador program that allows you to engage the community about the Co-op at your own speed.
Sign up and we will connect with you on ways to help spread the word, including social media, special events, and more. We are limited only by our own creativity. We will even send you a stack of referral cards, flyers, and stickers to hand out to your friends and networks.
For complete information and to join email northsidefoodcoop@gmail.com and we will send you the Co-op Ambassador Form to complete to get started.
What else can I do to help?
We’re so glad you asked! Here are some ideas:
- Join one of our Committee’s
- Run for the Board of Directors
- Volunteer to help at our events
- Share our monthly newsletter with your family, friends & networks
- Invite us to your clubs or organizations to speak at meetings or community events
- Spread the word to everyone you know through word-of-mouth and social media
- Hand out the Referral Cards found in your Ownership Welcome Package
- Slap your sticker somewhere fun and noticeable
- Make an Owner loan or donation
- Stay tuned for opportunities to invest in the Co-op through our Preferred Shares
- Connect us to potential funding opportunities or throw us a fundraiser
What are the next big picture steps in developing the Co-op?
In the short term the focus is on community engagement and Ownership sales. As we gain traction in the community for the project we will be developing a professional Market Study that will guide us in selecting a proper location.
Once we have selected the location we will develop a proforma that will allow us to begin the conversation with banks for lending and perform a capital campaign to complete the fundraising for the project. A proforma is a tool used to analyze a project’s financial feasibility that includes 10 years of financial projections based on historical operating data, cash flow projections, and a debt schedule.
Once funds are allocated, site selection will be completed and construction will begin. We expect this to be a 3-5 year process with the earliest the grocery will be in operation as 2024.
How do I keep track of the latest news?
When you become an Owner you are automatically registered for our monthly newsletter, so make sure our email address is in your favorites so emails don’t go to the spam folder.
Follow us on Facebook @NorthsideGroceryStore and Instagram @NorthsideFoodCoop.
Board meetings are open to the public and held at 1030am on the second Monday monthly.
We also have a Community Info Meeting on the third Tuesday monthly, you can register on our Facebook Events Page.
Still have questions?
Reach us directly:
(910) 260-4464
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