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Do you remember the Coop without the big glass front refrigerator? Did you know we once had a "junk shelf?" Seems back in 1995 there was an overage of scales! Read these and other tidbits of coop history in the newsletter archives below. The selections, from Coop Newsletters published over the years, date back to 1990! Old-timers, take a trip down memory lane; newer members and window shoppers, delight in the story of the growth of our brave and steadfast little institution! Read on...

NOTE: None of the announcements or news on this page are current! Some stories may be edited for length, and all last names and addresses have been removed.


From Fall 2000:

September 9 Brewing Party!!!!

Invitations are now available for the Coop's upcoming brewing party fundraiser! Click here, print out a bunch, and give them out to all of your friends! The success of the party depends on you!

Got any ideas for ways to make the party more profitable? We really need donations for a silent auction, so think of items or services you can get or give. Got a talent? Why don't you donate a massage, or a night of babysitting? Some other ideas have been:

Home Brewing lessons
Bake or Cook something
Art
Web design
Dog walking Service


From March 2000:

Lid Design Contest

Unleash your artistic side... we're reviving the spice cabinet by inviting all to grab a lid (they're each marked w/ an herb or spice), and designing them however you like!!

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)!

A big thanks to Chris for getting info on having the co-op be a drop stop for CSA shares from "From the Ground Up" this summer. Here's the scoop:

Each share is $335, from the end of May until Thanksgiving (approximately 25 weeks). That's $13.40 per week for what is usually 2-3 bags (10-15lbs. of fresh, locally-produced, organic food! The principle behind the CSA system is that purchasers are investing in a harvest season--if it's a good year, you get more food, a bad year, less. You share in the risk of the farmer, and reap the benefits of a good harvest. Last year, they did several comparisons to Fresh Fields prices for the same items that were provided in the share and the share was always several dollars cheaper.

Drop off would be Thursday nights, maybe Fridays (clarification coming). Share holders can either pick up their share when it is dropped off (this is how it works at other drop off sites), or pick it up Friday or Saturday. Picking up right at the drop off time would be best since it eliminates storage and confusion about how much to take for your share; whether another house member has already picked up the share; and whether something belongs to the coop or is part of a share.

For more info on how the CSA works, check out www.clagettfarm.org

City Garden Goes International

This month we debuted some new items from East and South Asia, including curry pastes, coconut milk, fish sauce, rice vinegar, won ton wrappers, rice noodles, and more. Judging from the amount left when this humble shopper came by around closing time on Saturday, the new purchases were a hit! What do you think? Let Jay and Mark know.


From Winter 1999:

Potluck Socials

Thanks to Louise Meyer for getting the ball rolling on the now monthly coop veggie potluck dinners. Everyone is welcome. We hope that by putting the word out in the Mt. Pleasant Forum ([email protected]) that maybe we'll attract some new folks too. Louise is supplying the space, her beautiful home above the coop. Generally, the dinners will be held on the third Sunday of the month at 7:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to enjoy great vegetarian cooking, nice folks and conversation, and even sometimes, local entertainment straight from our membership. Look for the notices posted in the coop for the February 21st dinner and later the March potluck. Get those recipe books out now.

Manager Position Open as Well

In May of this year Carol will have worked as manager of the coop for 4 years. She has enjoyed the opportunity to learn some of the ins/outs of operating a small business and working with all of you. Now, she is officially announcing her retirement and the position needs to be filled by May 1999. Several folks have volunteered to help in the search/interview capacity of finding another manager. That is a topic that will be addressed at our next coop meeting on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:30 at the coop. If you'd like to learn more about the position please come to the meeting.


from Summer 1998:

Mark Up Increases

At our last coop meeting, members met and reviewed our financial situation for the last year. We considered the number of members we have, an average month's income and what our debt looks like. It became obvious that our mark up needed to increase immediately or until our membership increases significantly enough so that our expenses could be covered without sacrificing the amount of inventory we carry. Should our membership/shopping volume increase significantly, we may be able to lower our markup in the future. Our debt remains between $2000 and $2400. That is a very positive move from where the coop was three years ago, but members agree that it needs to be eliminated.

Mt. Pleasant Festival

The main purpose of our booth at the festival was to spread the word about the coop and drum up interest. Thanks to the members that volunteered handing out flyers and staffing our booth. In addition to drumming up interest, the coop sold fresh Samantha juices, energy bars, soaps, and Blue Sky sodas. We turned a small profit after paying for our booth. It was a fun event, full of community spirit. Look for our participation again next year.


from Spring 1998:

Coop Meeting 3-30-98 Summary

Coop Meetings are held several times a year to discuss how the coop is doing in regard to staffing issues, finances, member satisfaction. All members of the coop are invited and encouraged to come. The coop has met one of the goals it set for 1997. Our inventory is up by over 100% compared to 2 years earlier.

Roof Top Gourmet

The coop's own Louise Meyer was recognized recently by the Washington post as penny pincher of the year. Louise has found that rooftop solar cooking is easy, saves her time, cuts down on the electric bill and heat in the kitchen. She says all it takes is a sunny day, aluminum-laminated cardboard (water-resistant), a clear oven roasting bag, and a dark pot with a tight-fitting lid.

Solar cooking is a secret Louise gladly shares. Ask her about it.

Thanks Chris!

Supportive cooper Chris acquired and donated the very environmentally friendly reusable net shopping bags you've seen at the coop for sale. The sale of these bags is helping to support the coop. Give them as gifts and keep one for yourself.

Suggestion Box

Lots of folks have been using the suggestion box to make general stocking suggestions and to request orders. This is very much appreciated. Keep the suggestions and orders coming. Please remember to include your name and phone number. There are often questions when ordering about size, flavor, form, quantity. When new items are sampled, your opinions can be valuable, too. Knowing whether folks want an item reordered helps us use our funds to bring members what they want. Thanks for your input.

Coop Email Site

Michael and Michael are responsible for creating the email list sign up and Deirdre from Doy House has volunteered to host the list. This will be a great new way to trade shifts, share recipes, ask questions, etc. Details will be forthcoming. Thanks Dierdre and Michaels.


from Fall 1997:

Dues-R-Due

By now all members should have paid their $36.00 dues for fiscal year '98. Dues are used to pay old debts and stock the store with extras. If you haven't paid your dues, please do your duty now as a good coop member. If you can't pay, please just talk to Carol and alternative arrangements can be made.

Organic Produce

This summer the search was on for organic produce. We have not yet found a distributor whose minimum delivery was reasonable for us. The search continues. Any ideas?

T-Shirts

The idea was proposed to create and sell a City Garden coop t-shirt. Feedback would be appreciated on how many of you might be interested. The t-shirt would help as a fundraiser. Drop a note in the suggestion box to say whether or not you like this idea and what a reasonable price is.

Bagels

We are in search of a possible new bagel distributor. Folks don't seem to like the new bagged presentation from Bagel Master. Stay tuned...


from March/April 1996:

Coop Thanks Members for Heroic Measures During Recent Snow Storms

As spring finally begins to come to the DC area after a horrendous winter, all members of the Coop deserve thanks and appreciation for their heroic efforts to keep the store open during the paralyzing storms of the last few months. Special thanks go to the drivers who made sure that our shelves were stocked; shift coordinators and shift worker bees who kept the store open; and those who braved the elements to shop. The weather dealt a very heavy blow to many businesses in our area, and while the Coop also suffered, it did not suffer nearly as much as it might have without the dedication of our members. THANKS TO ALL, AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

City Garden Tries New Bakery - Opinions Requested

The Brick Over Bakery, a new business on Wisconsin Avenue, is interested in selling its gourmet bread at the Coop. After a taste-testing at the last Coop meeting, members of the Coop agreed that the bread from the Brick Oven is very good. Manager Carol will start ordering some on a trial basis. Please make an effort to buy the bread and make your opinion known! Good or bad, tell us what you think by putting a note in the suggestion box. This will help Carol tremendously to meet the needs of Coop members in a more efficient and economical manner.

Debt: Progress is Being Made

The Coop debt situation is still of concern, but has been improving. Our debt is now approximately half of what it was and is going down. Due to the extraordinary efforts of manager Carol, we are getting along better with our creditors, and many of them are selling us products so we can make money to reduce our debt to them. We continue to review the Coop debt situation at each monthly meeting and as soon as the Coop leadership feels comfortable, we will lift some of the financial obligations that the membership has been forced to bear during this difficult period.


from September 1995:

Yard Sales, Thrift Shelf, New Over $170

The thrift shelf at the coop continues to bring in a small, but steady stream of income for us. This summer, over $50 worth of items have been sold. We would have to sell $250 worth of food to make that much on markup.

The yard sale at Lisa's house was even more spectacular, netting $100 for the Coop. Many thanks to Lisa for her hard work, and to all who brought donations for the sale and who came to shop.

Debt: Going, Going...

As the carrot barometer in the Coop shows, we are nibbling away at our debt and hope to see it decrease substantially within the next year. The Coop has established payment schedules with all our distributors, and we are currently up to date on all of them, a significant improvement!! We are moving ahead positively. Many thanks to Coop manager Carol for her super-human efforts in taming our financial situation!


from July 1995:

COOP GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MAKES BIG DECISIONS

Serious Efforts Made to Deal with our Financial Crisis

On the evening of Sunday, June 25, 1995, a dozen City Garden members attended the general membership meeting. The major focus of the meeting was on our financial situation at the Coop. This group worked efficiently through the evening to come up with a strategy to put the Coop on a healthier financial track--a complex task.

Unifying Ideals

As the group began to work, we realized we were unified in the following ideals:

  • Everyone wanted to keep the Coop not only affordable, but still a good deal.
  • We wanted to be careful to maintain our members by not evoking too much of a change in our operating process.
  • All wanted to honor our debts to distributors as quickly as is reasonable.

Markup Raised for Both Shift Coordinators and Workers

Our markup, our annual dues and the surcharge were all reviewed, as these are the main sources of income for City Garden. By reviewing available financial data, we realized we needed to raise our profit margin an average of 10% to 15% to cover operating expenses. The group adopted new markup rates of 10% for shift coordinators and 20% for shift workers.

Dues Raised from $25 to $26

When we discussed annual dues (collection begins on September 1) we realized it was possible to eradicate the debt if dues were posted high enough. That route appeared to hit pocketbooks too hard. What seemed reasonable was an increase of dues from $25.00 per year to $36 per year. This averages $3.00 per month per workslot, and goes towards covering the expenses of running the coop, as well as reducing the debt. The dues increase will not eliminate the debt, but will reduce it by more than 50%.

The Surcharge - Sorry, it's Still in There

Finally, the $1 surcharge on each shopping trip was discussed. The group agreed that while it would be preferable to eliminate the surcharge, we might be shooting ourselves in the foot by removing it this time. We deemed it best to maintain the surcharge at least through the summer.

Thanks For Your Participation

Many thanks to the folks who came to struggle through this tough decision-making process. We hope to see many more of you there over the next few months as we continue to grapple with our financial problems.

Coop Board Meetings Converted to General Membership Meetings

Since the inception of the City Garden Coop, a subset of the membership has met once a month as a Board of Directors, to make management and policy decision on behalf of the membership. The Coop has also held irregular general membership meetings, such as the one held on Sunday, June 25, to inform the members about the status of the coop and to invite member input.

Now more than ever, the ideas of the members are needed to help put the coop on a sound financial and managerial footing for the future. The involvement and interest of all members of the City Garden Coop is vital if we are to weather the tough period ahead and move on to a sounder future. To encourage your participation and interest, the Board has changed the monthly Board meeting to a monthly membership meeting. Any coop member who shows up is guaranteed a voice and a vote in the running of the coop. Please come. Your ideas and energy are badly needed.

And Last, But Not Least--

Members may have noticed some recent changes in the management of the coop. Our new manager is Carol, long-time co-coordinator of a Wednesday night shift with her companion, Susie. Carol is doing a terrific job, and we are all happy to have her at the helm. Former manager and bookkeeper, Erik, has stepped down from his management duties, but is still doing the books for the coop as his workshift. Besides being good for Carol, Erik, and the coop, these changes save us about $50 per month - the equivalent of the (new) markup on $333 worth of food!


from June 1995:

Using the Coop Outside Regular Hours: How to do an Off-Buy

Many members of City Garden have keys to the Coop, or have access to such keys through friends and housemates. You are welcome to shop at the Coop anytime, of course; the more sales we make, the better off we are. But observing some simple procedures when you make an off-buy will make things easier for our bookkeeping and our sanity. When you do any off buy, please:

  • Do not use cash! Always pay by check! Cash lying around in the desk is a security risk we can do without. And a check can be written for an exact amount, without any need for change.
  • Pay every time you shop. If you do off-buys on a regular basis, there is a tendency to take the food now and pay later. Don't do it; if you forget, it just makes our financial situation even worse.
  • Turn off the scale and the adding machine when you are done.
  • When you pay, remember to add the $1.00 surcharge that helps us deal with out debt! We really need the money!
  • Lock the door and turn out the lights! No sense in attracting attention we don't want.


from February 1995:

New!! Shop Now on Friday Nights at the Coop!!!

Thanks to: Friday shifts for taking on this task; Wednesday shifts that gave up workers; Board members who did training. USE IT! THANKS!

Jars Needed!

Individual pouring out and weighing of liquids, such as oil, honey, and tamari, does not seem to be working well, so we are going to go back to having the work shifts pour the bulk items out into portions for individual purchase. To do this, we need a steady supply of clean jars, and this is how we will do it: Bring your jars to the home of Board member Clare. Leave them on the porch. Clare will run them through the dishwasher and bring them to the coop. This way, we know the jars will be clean enough to be safe. DO NOT take the jars to the coop, and please use common sense with the jars you leave at Clare's--give us ones of reasonable size and in good shape, with tight fitting caps that aren't cracked. Thanks in advance--let's see how this arrangement works.

Buy the Blackstrap Molasses!!!

In order to bring one of our orders up to a minimum dollar amount, we bought lots of blackstrap molasses - please buy it and use it! It is very rich in iron, and can be used to make wonderful recipes such as the Brown Bread below, adapted from the Joy of Cooking. Baked beans and brown bread is a protein-rich complimentary combination that is as traditional in Sweden as it is in New England.

Baked Brown Bread:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Stir together:
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Stir in:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or use graham or whole wheat flower)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup dark molasses*
1 cup nuts and/or raisins (optional)

Combine all ingredients and bake in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan for 40-60 minutes; or in four 10-ounce buttered molds 30-40 minutes; or as 12 muffins, about 30 minutes.
*To measure molasses, oil the measuring cup first - the molasses will slip right out without a mess. Good for honey, too, and other sticky liquids.

Housekeeping Notes

Check those buckets! At the end of every shift, test each bucket to make sure the tops are all on tight. Take any empty buckets out of the rack and store them - isn't it annoying to open a bucket only to discover it's empty?
Stan - Many thanks for the scales! Coop board member Stan has continued to serve as our scalemeister, tracking down bargains in used scales and getting the ones we have fixed. Currently, we are blessed with more scales than we need, an unusual situation! This gives us the luxury of auxiliary scales in case (or maybe I should say when) our regular scales need to go in for repairs. Thanks, Stan!


from October 1994:

New Produce Person Needed

Want a shift that is flexible, that doesn't require you to show up at some ungodly hour on Saturday morning, that is fun and important? Consider becoming the new Produce Person for the Coop. This job has been handled for a long time by the wonderful C.J., but she is ready to hand it over to someone else.
The job requires you to check the Coop, coordinate with the Manager, Erik, and then call in the produce order. You don't need to be in the city, or even in the country to do this. You just need to be aware of the deadlines of our suppliers and call in enough time to make sure our produce is ready when we need it. If you are interested, call Clare.

Sorry Inventory Has Been Low

Yes, the shelves have been a little bare lately. This has been caused by two phenomena. First, the end of the summer is the low point for the Coop, both in terms of income and shoppers. So we have not been stocking quite as much as usual. Also, our debt situation with our suppliers has gotten a little beyond us, so we are taking steps to pay off some of our debt before we order more.

The Board in conjunction with our new manager, Erik, is working on this problem. Look for better stocked shelves in the near future.

Success of Yard Sale Leads to Institution of "Junk Shelf"

The Coop yard sale held in July has continued to generate money for City Garden. The records that were left after the yard sale were put into the Coop as items for sale, and they have continued to move! This has given us the idea of instituting a "junk shelf," sort of a perpetual yard sale in the Coop. All donations are welcome under the following guidelines:

  • All items should be tagged or marked with a price and the date they were put on the shelf.
  • Sorry, but no clothes-they are too hard to deal with neatly.
  • Items that are not sold in a month or so will be donated to charity.



from August 1994:

Dues Collection Begins

Raised to $25 for 94-95
The City Garden Coop fiscal year begins in September, which means that once again, it is dues collection time. All members of the Coop pay dues at that time; members who join during the year pay a prorated rate.

Collecting dues is very important for the coop. Since we run on such a thin margin (to keep the price of food as low as possible) this money is vital to cover the uneven times any business faces. We have had to raise the dues to $25 this year because of continuing losses and rising costs, such as a rent increase.

Coop Cookbook for the Holidays

Enter the contest to design a cover!

We have talked for years about a Coop cookbook, so we can share our favorite recipes and raise a little extra money in the process. We are finally going to put one together this year, with the goal of having it in the store before the end of the year, just in time for the holidays.

There is a variety of pre-printed forms in the store. Pick one you like & put your favorite recipe on it. We will copy it exactly the way you give it to us, so make it beautiful. See the sign in the store for more details. And enter the cover design contest - winner receives a free copy of the cookbook!


from July 1994:

Coop Hires New Manager/Bookkeeper

City Garden Welcomes Erik
Many Thanks to Departing Manager Anne

At long last, the Coop has a new manager! Erik starts this week as the new manager of the City Garden Coop. Erik has a great deal of business experience. He currently runs his own import/export business in Mt. Pleasant and lives in a group house that is a long time member of City Garden. Erik will also keep the books, and we hope that his business acumen will help us improve our operation and mend our financial situation.

Erik joins us just in the nice of time, as long-time manager Anne has just accepted a stage-managing job outside Philadelphia. We thank Anne for her work this past year, and wish her luck as she moves on to bigger and better things!


from June 1992:

Membership Meeting: Important Issues Face City Garden

The next membership meeting of the City Garden Coop will be held on Sunday, May 31, 1992, from 11am to 1pm, in the backyard behind the Coop (or on the porch if it rains). This meeting will be a potluck brunch; bring dishes made with Coop food and recipes to exchange.

Although the Coop Board meets about once a month, the input of the membership is very important in helping us keep the Coop focused in the right direction. We are looking for your input, so please come to the meeting and speak up!

The following agenda was put together at the last Board meeting, but please feel free to add items to it that you think we need to discuss. Remember, this is your meeting, and we hope to see you there. The suggested agenda includes:

  • Financial Report:
    • Financial Status
    • New developments in our financial picture
    • What we can expect in the future
  • Labor Report
    • Current Status
    • Membership drive
    • Incentive plan for bringing in new members
    • Need for drivers and vehicles
  • Store Report
    • Inventory
    • Unusual grains - what they are and how to cook them
    • New products - Mobjack Farms, Uptown Bread?
  • Other Issues
    • New Manager
    • What would make you shop on Wednesday?


AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, from October/November 1990:

New Refrigerator Arrives!

"Weight" Was Worthwhile
Many thanks to Stan and his refrigerator crew

The glass front refrigerator we have been awaiting for many months has finally arrived. This beautiful piece of reconditioned equipment adds a professional tone to the store, and it should improve both the sales and the shelf-life of such items as cheese, yogurt, and other perishables.

The Coop owes a great vote of thanks to Stan, who tracked down the refrigerator and arranged for it to be fixed up. Thanks also to everyone who sweated blood to get the thing into the basement - Rich, Mark, Matthew, and Ruy.

Getting it into the basement

Not only does this refrigerator weigh a ton, but it needed to be maneuvered around the pipes and the gas tank in the entryway. The fit was so tight that at one point, the screws had to be removed from the outside because the screw heads took up too much space! Rolling the refrigerator on wooden dowels, like the Egyptians building pyramids, the intrepid moving crew finally managed to ease the appliance into place.

We made a deal

The refrigerator was originally a donation from a local pizza parlor that went out of business. Because the refrigerator was not in working condition at that time, Stan persuaded the owner to take a tax write-off and let us haul it away.

Pepsi reconditioned it for us, and although we paid for the service, they gave us a great deal. The refrigerator was so old that the motor was obsolete, but Pepsi took one of their more modern motors and adapted it to the unit.

The refrigerator now works like a charm, and if we want, it can later be adapted to work as a freezer as well. It is a great improvement for the Coop, and we hope it will give us good service for many years to come.

Table of Contents

If you have old stories not posted here, send them my way and I'll get 'em into the archives!

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