Anacortes Food Co-op reopens with growth spurt

Food co-ops in our communities offer amazing examples of thinking globally while acting locally to create a more sustainable world in people’s home towns.

The Anacortes Food Co-op is doing exactly that. Come to the grand opening of their new store from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at 2403 Commercial Ave. and see – and taste – community optimism for yourself.

The story, which naturally starts with a small group in late 2015 incorporating as Woven Dream Anacortes Food Coop (its legal name) and opening in Brian Jo’s Tokyo Japanese Restaurant, peaked at 700 members and $200,000 in 2023 annual sales. This is their third location. At over 1,200 square feet it’s almost twice the size of the Skagit Maid Dairy store they rented until October 2022.

Board Chair Phil Cohen is optimistic: “We have a bright future. The location is excellent for folks going to San Juan Island on the ferry,” he said. For residents, he plugs, “It’s your year-round farm store. There are not too many in the winter. We really try to have local produce in the winter. We have local products from local producers.”

Their website emphasizes “LOCAL” produce, dairy, eggs and meat.

Shawn Bell, manager since 2020, looks forward to people attending the open house and coming back to shop.

“We have a ton of stuff in a small space,” he said.

There are cooperative values that go beyond what is stocked in the store that attracts participation.

“Half the members join to be part of the community. … It is pretty special that so many members join for being part of community spirit,” he said.

Bell is committed to providing a community hub for Anacortes residents that, beyond food, offers education about food and healthy lifestyles. He cites two key principles of all cooperatives: education and concern for community. Staff and the board have woven them into the organization’s vision: “Grow a healthy and connected community by offering products and services based on cooperative and sustainable principles.”

The co-op has joined the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce and is getting involved with other businesses. There will be an Earth Day celebration on site.

Bell and Cohen believe that with people moving into Anacortes, the food co-op is a natural place to meet others and get involved.

The reopening celebration April 10 is open to all. There will be local vendors providing tastes, including beer, jam, mushrooms, ice cream and more. A “passport” given to adults encourages them to tour sampling stations. The filled out passports will be drawn for prizes for logo-themed tote bags, mugs and a gift basket made up predominantly of local vendor products.

Kids will be sent on a treasure hunt ending with a gift card ending with a piece of fruit.

There will be acoustic musicians performing at three sites.

The co-op’s annual membership meeting, 6:30-8 p.m. April 23 at Anacortes Library, is open to nonmembers. The co-op will share its progress and provide members materials to talk to friends and neighbors and encourage them to join. The aim is to get 150 new members this year to join the 400 active members. The co-op had 700 before it closed for the move. Cohen notes they “lost some customers to the other co-op in the Skagit Valley.”

The $200 membership is $100 for a stock share and a $100 annual fee payable over four years.

Cohen’s pitch: “Anyone can shop at the Anacortes Food Co-op. You don’t have to be a member. Persons can become members for as little as $2. Membership allows for special ordering and weekly discounts.”

Sales have been good since the reopening. The co-op met its first year goal in the new location to double their sales. After closing in October 2022, they were not able to open until July 2023.

Now, by “July we hope to be at $400,000.,” Bell says. “I continue to hold that out as a realistic goal. We are only getting more business.” The five year stretch is $1 million in sales, “quintuple of what we have done. That is what our goal is. For 2024 the goal was kept at doubling our sales.”

A $110,000 grant from the Washington state Department of Agriculture to support markets for local producers purchased coolers and provides marketing support, both supporting store growth. The Anacortes Chamber of Commerce has helped with promotions and Cohen is also appreciative of members who have made loans and outright gifts “to keep us going.”