Marquette Food Co-op prepares for expansion and reflects on successes

As the Marquette Food Co-op prepares for its upcoming move, the priorities of the store remain: providing its members and the community with a quality grocery store and improving the community.

"The entire community benefits because of the economic impact of this little business right downtown. Last year we had a payroll that exceeded $1 million and then you think of all of that money returning into the community as well as the patronage dividends that return into the community and the job creation; there would be a gaping hole in this downtown if this little store didn't exist," says Matt Gougeon, general manager of the Marquette Food Co-op.

The co-op is a membership-owned grocery store that sells primarily organic products and works to educate its membership and the community about food and food-related issues. There are more than 3,000 members or owners of the co-op, all of whom have an equal voice in any voting matter.

In fact, it was members who helped motivate the upcoming move to a new location at the corner of Seventh and Washington streets, which was purchased by the co-op in February. Gougeon says members were interested in an expansion for the possibility of wider aisles, a deli, and increased parking. Also, cooking classes will be held on site.

"The move is necessary also because we don't have a loading dock, so we're bringing millions of dollars of product in through the front door, wheeling it all the way to the back and then bringing it back out again. That's just inefficient," he says.

Ideally, the new location will open in early spring of 2013. The larger store will allow for more vendors to sell their products, and the co-op intends to hire at least 20 people. The expansion also opens the doors to eventually making the co-op a food warehouse and distribution center.

"We're going to take a relatively unattractive building in downtown Marquette and make it a beautiful and vibrant community-owned grocery store. It's a win-win for everyone," Gougeon says. "We will turn that building into a very energy-efficient model for the rest of the community to look at."

The changes certainly are a long way from when the store opened in 1971, with only a few families owning it. Then, someone had to drive to Ann Arbor each month to pick up foods and bring them back. The co-op didn't hire its first paid employee until 1998; it was all done by volunteers. Today, the co-op employs more than 50 people. It also provides educational workshops and other opportunities to area residents, which Gougeon says is especially valuable for members to understand the operations and realities of the business.  

"If you own part of a business, then it's your responsibility and the responsibility of operations of that business to keep the owners informed about what's going on. And that is about the business itself but it's also about the wider world, why we're doing what we're doing," Gougeon says.

Additionally, members are able to get discounts or order bulk from the store. There are also opportunities to serve on the board of directors or on ad hoc committees. But, Gougeon says, it's some of the intangible aspects of being an owner that bring people the most pride.

"It's that sense of community ownership that our members talk about most. It's hard to come into the store and shop without getting out in less than 45 minutes and you've come in to pick up three things because you see everybody you know down here," Gougeon says. "There's something about this store that causes people to stop and just talk."

Lucy Hough is a history student at Northern Michigan University and former editor in chief of the student newspaper, The North Wind.