The organic grocer Community Co-op Market is asking for help as they make what could be a final plea to stay open in Tallahassee.
For the last six years, the store has been a place to get products from farmers, dairy farms and bakeries within a 50-mile radius. But since opening under its current name in 2020, the Apalachee Parkway store has had its share of financial struggles.
Early Sunday morning, Wis Benoit – one of the market’s board members – took to Facebook to ask for the community’s support. Benoit explained that the store has operated at a deficit over the past several years and outlined what the market needs from the community to remain viable.
“We are running out of runway,” Benoit said in the post. “We only have a few weeks before cash reserves are virtually extinguished. So, due to the Board’s fiduciary responsibility, it has been deemed imperative, given no other alternative and so that we stay in integrity with all our partners, (that) we begin the process to close the store.”
He even did all the calculations, encouraging that if their 2,000 plus members spent at least $30, they might have a fighting chance. The store needs roughly $120,000 a week to be sustainable; it currently operates at around $100,000 to $110,000 per week.
Now, the store’s executive committee is scheduled to vote Aug. 24 on whether the store will continue operating – or cease operations.
While the co-op was initially silent about its latest financial status, noting internal conversations going on, they have since reposted Benoit’s update, adding “At this time, your support matters.”
“Every purchase helps support our employees, local farmers, independent vendors and the community-owned grocery store Tallahassee has built together. If you value having a locally rooted alternative to corporate grocery stores, we encourage you to come in, shop and invite others to do the same,” the market said.
Supermarket had a history of financial troubles
Community Co-op took over the struggling store when it was New Leaf Market in 2020.
New Leaf, which began in the 1970s as Leon County Food Cooperative, struggled financially in later years. Competitors such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare and Lucky’s came to Tallahassee and jockeyed for market space. The latter two have since closed.
New Leaf sold all its inventory and fixtures to new ownership and re-opened as Community Co-op Market.
“We’ve definitely struggled since we’ve opened,” then-chief operations and finance officer Rene Deschene told the Tallahassee Democrat in February 2024. “… We got hit right away with COVID right after opening and then … runaway inflation. That was really affecting grocery prices and got us in ’22 and ’23.”
Fast forward to today and the store still faces the same struggles.
To help the store recover early in 2024, the store’s business model made a shift. Prices were reduced by about 40% on staples such as chips, beans, canned beans, vegetables, rice and flour. Local shoppers took to social media to help spread the word and get people back in the store.
A new social media push is aimed at saving the store. One user reacted, “I’m sad to see this news. I’ll share the update with my networks. Please keep us posted on the efforts.”
Another said, “I go almost every week. I will really miss it if the store closes!” Still others offered suggestions for what they could do moving forward.
Whatever decision the board arrives at, the store will continue to operate at least for the next few weeks.
If you go
What: Community Co-op Market
Where: 1235 Apalachee Parkway, in the Parkway Shopping Center, near Magnolia Drive
When: 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. daily
This article includes previously reported information.
Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Can Tallahassee save its Community Co-op Market?
Reporting by Kyla A Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Kyla A Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
