12
Wednesday, June 30, 1993
UNIVERSITY DAJLY KANSAN
New building mirrors co-op's expansion
Community Mercantile gets new home
By Todd Puntney Kansan staff writer
The Community Mercantile Co-op natural foods store has been eating its green beans.
"We just keep growing," said Connie Hollander, general manager of the store. "We needed a larger, bigger place to operate from."
The store opened Saturday in its new building at 901 Mississippi St. and hopes to expand its business. It also is trying to improve its image.
"We had a past reputation as being nuts and beans store and a closed society," she said. "But we want people to know that this isn't just for people who wear Birkenstocks."
The store is trying to improve its image is a community store, one that is not shuque or elite. After all, health is not a matter of exclusion, Hollander said.
"As the age of America continues, we are all becoming a little more conscious of our responsibilities."
The store, which moved from its old location at 700 Maine St. , is a cooperative with members owning at least one $75 lifetime share. More than 880 members have a voice in the operation of the store. Any member can run for the board of directors and all can vote.
But it is not for members only. Most of the recent growth of the store came from nonmembers, and new changes would increase involvement. Hollander said.
The new store, located in the building that once was the Power Plant dance club, is painted bright yellow. It has three times more shelf space than the previous location, a deli, a meat counter and a bakery.
Some of the other changes are more subtle. Hollander said the store had applied to become a Women and Infant Children Program store, a federally-funded program that gives food discounts to low-income families.
"Because of that we now carry some main-line groceries," she said. "The one that always comes to mind is Cheerios."
The store also carries infant formula, egg noodles and sugar, all of which are competitively priced with other grocery stores, she said.
Some of the other foods, however, remain more expensive.
"In some cases, it would be a little more expensive." Hollander said. "But you're paying for the quality and the service."
With an education program that gives workshops on nutrition, gardening and cooking. Hollander said the co-op was doing the right thing, not just trying to improve its image.
"One of the principles of the co-op is education, and we do a lot of that," she said. "Supermarkets in general just don't do that."
The store belongs to the Cooperative Grocer's Association, a group of eight Midwest co-ops and the first natural food co-op in the United States.
"We're banded together as co-ops cooperating with one another, and we bring all of our knowledge together and share ideas," she said. "We also get larger purchasing power with warehouses."
Susan Elkins, coordinator of the KU Information Service, said she shopped at the co-op.
"They were really the first group of people in Lawrence who were interested in healthy foods and healthy eating." Elkins said. "It's always been a part of their mission to educate people about healthy eating, not profit-making."
Tom Leinger / KANSAN
Laurie Martin-Frydman checks out the cheese cooler at the Community Mercantile Co-op. 901 Mississippi St., as her one-month-old daughter, Alyson, sleeps in her child seat. The two shopped Saturday at the co-op.
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