Presentation Title
Keeping the Local Store: The Case of the Honey Creek Market Co-op Conversion
Keywords
Food deserts, Food access, Building community support, Models of grocery store ownership, Grocery stores as civic and cultural spaces, Cooperatives, Business retention
Description
The rural, family-owned grocery store is increasingly an endangered species in the United States. Challenges such as competition with big box and chain stores, changes in America’s shopping and commuting patterns, and rural to urban migration have led to the closing of many rural grocery stores. The cooperative model is one possible tool that rural communities can use to keep their local grocery store in town.
Residents of Plain, a village of 773 in southwestern Wisconsin, fought the prospect of becoming a food desert when the owners of Phil’s River Valley Supermarket decided to sell the family business after nearly 95 years of doing business. With the help of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and a strong commitment from local residents, the community successfully converted Phil’s Supermarket to a consumer-owned grocery cooperative, keeping alive the nearly century long tradition of providing food to Plain and the surrounding communities. Courtney Berner, the cooperative development specialist who supported the conversion process from start to finish, presents Honey Creek Market Cooperative’s story. She also explains the opportunities and challenges of conversions and provide insight into how other communities can use the cooperative model to keep their local grocery store.
Creative Commons License
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Keeping the Local Store: The Case of the Honey Creek Market Co-op Conversion
The rural, family-owned grocery store is increasingly an endangered species in the United States. Challenges such as competition with big box and chain stores, changes in America’s shopping and commuting patterns, and rural to urban migration have led to the closing of many rural grocery stores. The cooperative model is one possible tool that rural communities can use to keep their local grocery store in town.
Residents of Plain, a village of 773 in southwestern Wisconsin, fought the prospect of becoming a food desert when the owners of Phil’s River Valley Supermarket decided to sell the family business after nearly 95 years of doing business. With the help of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and a strong commitment from local residents, the community successfully converted Phil’s Supermarket to a consumer-owned grocery cooperative, keeping alive the nearly century long tradition of providing food to Plain and the surrounding communities. Courtney Berner, the cooperative development specialist who supported the conversion process from start to finish, presents Honey Creek Market Cooperative’s story. She also explains the opportunities and challenges of conversions and provide insight into how other communities can use the cooperative model to keep their local grocery store.
