Size Matters

Much of the recent chat around the co-op - analog (in the store and at meetings) and virtual (on the blog and in email) - has revolved around Common Ground's impending move. Location. Timeframe. Finances. Staffing.

Size.

Size, no pun intended, is a huge issue for the Common Ground base. If there's something co-op members don't seem to want, it's having the co-op get "too big". What does that mean, exactly?

Discussion about the co-op's size can be broken down into three basic areas - a) size in terms of physical space, b) size in terms of membership and customer base and c) size in terms of scope and mission.

Physical space: Currently, the co-op store itself occupies less than 1000 feet - remember, that doesn't include office space or storage. Proposed physical growth, with the planned move, will result in the store doubling in size and occupying about 2100 square feet for retail operations. 2100 square feet, especially when compared with our humble 900 square feet, sounds HUGE. Enormous. How on earth will we be able to fill it all up??

Let's use another local business as a point of reference. 2100 square feet, retail, is less than a third of what Strawberry Fields currently occupies. For you young whippersnappers out there, 2100 square feet is about what Strawberry Fields occupied in 1996 (they had just the northern third of their current building), before its two expansions.

Suddenly, 2100 square feet doesn't sound so humongous.

Expansion to this size will effect some amazing change in the co-op - there will be a wider variety of product choice, more cash registers, and hopefully some other interesting features that'll appeal to members and non -members alike. A better selection of products will enable the co-op to stay competitive, thus ensuring our longevity in Champaign-Urbana. We all want to see the co-op succeed, and physical expansion will play a large role in that success.

Membership and customer base: Co-op members have a special relationship to the store and to each other. Because Common Ground is currently a members-only outfit, there's a certain amount of commitment going on when someone joins and decides to shop on a regular basis. They also start seeing each other in the co-op and around town, often developing acquaintanceships and eventual friendships. It's that conviviality that so many members like, that feeling of belonging and community.

Why should our awesome organization remain one of the best-kept secrets in C-U, especially when more involvement by the community is a win-win situation?

Common Ground's planned expansion will include everyone in the community at large - the store will be open to members and non-members alike (and with a bigger space, we can accommodate everyone's needs). Obviously, there'll be some people who shop without becoming members - and we'll be happy to have them, as revenue from these customers will hugely benefit our bottom line (we're a business, after all!). But there are going to be others, hopefully many others, who will bring their areas of knowledge, their skill sets, and their ideas to Common Ground, investing as members. They'll come come to C-U from all over the country and the world, and they'll find us (no longer a secret, see) and join us. They'll reap the rewards of membership, and enjoy the community... and some of those non-member shoppers are going to give in and join. Increased shopping benefits the co-op; increased membership benefits all of us.

Scope and mission: All this talk of business and money occasionally creeps people out. I know that when I was working at Common Ground back in 2005, I desperately wanted the co-op to stay its funky self. It was a little corner of town that so few people knew about... yet was on the cutting edge of disseminating information about food issues that mattered - Common Ground's been ahead of the curve on local food, fair trade, and informing consumers about the activities of the companies whose products we carry, and continuously strives for fairness in its business dealings while meeting the needs of its members. I began to realize, as I began my work doing outreach, that everyone needed to know what we were doing, that expanding the store and its capacity to serve the community in this fashion was essential to educating the public about our food - where it comes from, how it got here, who grew it/made it and how they grew it/made it - because everyone eats, and everyone needs to know these things (or at least needs to be able to shop in an environment where they know why they need to know these things). Food is a lynchpin; shouldn't Common Ground exist as a resource for everyone?

Physical expansion - in an area that is nowhere near critical mass for natural/organic/local food sources - is the best way for Common Ground to continue on the path of feeding and educating not just the membership, but the entire community. We already offer a shopping experience much richer than any other grocery store in the area - an increase in physical space, membership, and scope is going to make it even more so.

It's time to add to Common Ground's dimensions - literally and figuratively.

- Lisa B-K