October News from The Riverwest Co-op Board

Membership Support Makes a Difference!  

We are not out of the woods.  We still need you! 

Community, we are so proud and humbled by the way that you all have stepped up since we first sent up the distress flags (see below for some star examples).  All of these victories give us a fighting chance to keep the Co-op open, but it is still just that - a chance.

  • We’ve got 147 new members and 10 new lifetime members since June, y’all!  Welcome, newbies!

  • 104 of you renewed your memberships since June, making it clear that you are here to stay.

  • We onboarded 3 new board members and received an influx of 12 new committee members, which gives us more people to do the necessary rebuilding and strengthening work.  Clutch.

  • We doubled our in-store weekly volunteer corps. You amazing volunteers matter so much for making the store run smoothly and as a real community hub.  THANK YOU.

  • For the first time since before COVID hit, we made monthly profits, in both July and August. 

We still have a long way to go before the Co-op is on stable footing.  Our September sales and memberships have dipped again, and we are still looking at an 80K+ loss for the year so far.

But together we can do it!  Here’s how you can help:

#FirstStopRWCoop 

  • The increased shopping we’ve seen over the last months has made a big difference!  What else will make you think of the Co-op first for your grocery and other needs?

  • Come hang out.  Yes, this is a real thing that helps both our bottom line and the community.  See friendly faces while shopping or sit down at the dine-in counter with a Grab N’ Go sandwich or The Ladle Lady’s offerings.  Make the Co-op the place to be again!

Join, Renew, Recruit, Share!  

  • Check your membership status by emailing rwcoopmemcom@gmail.com or asking at the register.  Sign up for or renew your membership in the store or virtually. 

  • Tell your family and friends what makes the Co-op a special place  

  • Comment on and share Co-op social media posts - get those algorithms working for us!

VOLUNTEER

  • We could especially use additional members to serve on our Board and committees (especially Finance, Membership, and Building Maintenance) 

  • In-store, we need more volunteer cashiers.  Morning, evening, and weekend shifts are available - let’s get to 30 more people rotating through in the next two months!  

  • Sign up using our new online form! 

$$$$$

  • We will be formally kicking off our member loan program later this month.  Pledge a loan or learn more by contacting Jill at jcapicchioni@yahoo.com. 

Now Hiring

  • Spread the word!  We have openings for 2 full-time positions: an Administrative Coordinator and a Grocery Coordinator.  Job descriptions are HERE. 

Want to know what else we have been up to?

  • Shared Capital has invited the Riverwest Co-op to submit a loan application by November 1st based on the Board’s preliminary business plan. This loan would allow us to invest in system overhauls and café reimagination to set us up for years of future success.  Reach out to Board@riverwestcoop.org if you’d like to learn more or read our preliminary business plan narrative.

  • We have partnered with The Ladle Lady for a terrific popup - come see her at the Co-op every Friday, noon-6pm, for fresh and delicious hot dishes, salads, and soups!

  • We have set 2024 as the goal for the café’s return in its to-be-reimagined form. In the meantime, the space is still providing us with revenue as we turn it into a commissary kitchen available for pop-ups and rentals to incubator businesses. We especially hope to attract business owners who reflect our community’s diversity.  (If you’ve ever dreamed of doing your own pop-up or have suggestions of partnerships for us, let us know!  cafe.riverwestcoop@gmail.com)

  • We need more staff to make the changes that will help the Co-op thrive, but this comes at a cost. On the one hand, we are excited to fill the two coordinator positions linked above! On the other hand, to sustain these new positions, we will need to increase our income from the café, the store, and new and renewed memberships.

Finally, we’re celebrating Co-op Month in October and our 21st birthday in November!  Join us in the festivities by coming out to any of these great events (and keep an eye out for more events to be announced soon)!

  • Saturday, October 22 - Membership Drive kickoff, Pumpkin Carving, and Volunteer Job Fair - all happening inside and outside the Co-op and the Falcon Bowl

  • Saturday, November 12 - the Co-op’s 21st Birthday Party!  We’ll be partying inside and outside the Falcon Bowl, our favorite.  Rumor has it the Brewery Syndicate is brewing up a new beer dedicated to the Co-op…to get in on the planning fun for this sure-to-be-fab shindig, contact volunteer@riverwestcoop.org. 

Riverwest Cooperative