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General News: Co-op Market's Future in Doubt
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| The Harvest Market operates out of 208 Hudson Street. |
September 14, 2010
The future of the Cornwall Community Cooperative is on the line, with a meeting scheduled for Sunday, September 19, when members will decide whether to close the co-op’s Harvest Market in Cornwall-on-Hudson.
In a message to the co-op’s 215 member families, board president Nancy Proyect explained that a drop in sales during the summer and difficulty recruiting working members to staff the market have led to the conclusion that it is “at a crisis moment and cannot continue to operate under the status quo.” In addition, she wrote, the store’s executive director, Lucinda Poindexter, has resigned, effective at the end of September. The Harvest Market opened its doors in May of 2009.
The co-op will continue to operate the farmers’ market each Wednesday at Cornwall town hall through November 3rd. “The success of the Cornwall Farmers’ Market, which the co-op organized and manages, indicates that there is significant demand for local products,” Proyect wrote in an email. “But these have not translated into a sustainable retail establishment.”
At Sunday’s meeting, members will be asked to vote on three alternatives, including keeping the market open with a renewed commitment from volunteer working members or closing the market while keeping the co-op operating with a focus on education and the possible creation of a buying club. A third option would dissolve the co-op entirely.
Proyect said that she believes that if members vote to discontinue the market that it will re-open one day. She explained that most co-ops don't open a retail operation until they have been around for about five years, giving the co-op time to build a broader base to support the retail operation.
Comments:
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Sad news. Hope they can keep the co-op going even if the retail side of things becomes nonviable. My mom loves going there and getting fresh local produce and organic stuff.
posted by Ted Warren on 09/15/10 at 1:33 PM
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