Frequently Asked Questions about our upcoming relocation to Beavers Market:

Q: Is the co-op moving or opening a second location?

A: The co-op has sold our building at 250 E Mountain and purchased 1100 W Mountain!  We are MOVING.  However our 250 E Mountain location will remain open until we are ready to complete our move.

Q: I’m interested in Beavers but don’t understand the co-op

A: A co-op is a unique, community-oriented ownership structure that engages in the public sector just like any other grocery store.  While you do not need to be a member to shop there and the prices are generally not different for members or non-members, becoming a co-op member shows your support for local food producers, a locally owned-business and helps support our operations   There are member benefits, including seasonal sales weeks for members, as well as patronage refunds rewarding members for their proportionate use of co-op products and services when the grocery store is profitable.

Q: Why move?

A: We currently have zero dedicated parking spots and  a small retail space, which limits our offerings and the store layout.  We also don’t have  a space we can easily accommodate grocery carts making it hard to make large shopping trips for customers.  By moving we can nearly triple our retail space and we’ll have 34 designated parking spots and we can finally have carts!

Q: How can the co-op afford to move?

A: The co-op owned its location at 250 E Mountain Avenue which we sold, providing the organization with a significant downpayment for the future location. The decision to move is the result of significant strategic consideration, including an evaluation of our current operations and growth potential, as well as historical and projected growth potential at the Beavers location. In addition to the proceeds from the sale of our current building, we secured additional financing through a bank and are providing opportunities for community members to help us buy inventory at the new location.

Q: Why is the food co-op moving when they’ve been running go-fund me campaigns to stay afloat for the last few years?

A: Our current location has been essentially heavily capped on revenue for many years. Experts keep telling us: to survive in a the grocery industry with slim margins you need to be bigger!  Without the needed grocery store traffic we have struggled to grow over the last 20 years and our basket sizes/ transaction amounts remain very small compared to industry averages. The current structure of our operations has limited our purchasing and buying power keeping our prices higher than our competitors, further challenging our business model.  This move will greatly increase our customer traffic, revenue potential and allow us to operate as a one-stop grocery store and profitable business for the community.  Being able to run as an actual grocery store with parking, grocery carts, easier access, and volume pricing will stop the cycle of fundraising we’ve unfortunately had to rely on in the past.

Q: Why is the co-op so expensive?

A: It’s true that some of the items on our shelves are pricier than other stores.  Because our co-op is so limited in size, distributors do not give us good wholesale pricing so we’re paying MORE for goods than our competitors, and that means our prices are sometimes higher.  However this move will GREATLY increase our revenue qualifying us for the great wholesale pricing our competitors currently receive AND we’re committed to offering more affordable staples in our new retail space to best serve the community of our new location.

Q: How is the co-op securing its future operational success?

A: In addition to fixing our main problem (limited revenue based on foot traffic and lack of dedicated parking) we have applied to join the National Co-op Grocers, a grocery store cooperative that strengthens purchasing power (lower prices), provides ongoing technical and operative support and training, and marketing resources.  

Q: When will this move happen?

A: While we have an idea of when it should happen, the board has experience with commercial building purchases (we currently have multiple local business owners on our board) and so we know we can’t advertise any hard dates at this time.  However we can say that we hope this move will be completed in early 2026.

Q: How can I help?
A: Great question! Here are a couple ways you can help:If you’re not already a member, the best way to help is to become a member!  And if you are a member and you’re excited about this move, please participate in our planning by showing up to our board meetings.

(1)   Become a Co-op Member: If you’re not already a member, becoming a member shows your support for our local food system, local ownership and helps support our operations. It also gives you the ability to join board meetings and provides voting rights for big decisions. https://www.mountainavenuemarket.com/membership

(2) Participate in our Planning; We invite all co-op member-owners to join us at our board meetings.