After a pandemic-filled year, grocery co-op gaining momentum
By Dave Fidlin
While it has yet to officially open its doors, a grassroots, local effort aimed at bringing a quality grocery store to Whitewater through a sustainable business model recently passed a milestone.
Last month marked the 4-year anniversary of the official inception of Whitewater Grocery Co., the planned membership-focused food store that was hatched on May 4, 2017, more than a year after the city lost Sentry, its sole full-service grocer.
While a number of pieces of the puzzle still need to come together, one of the lead organizers of the effort said Whitewater Grocery Co. – or “the GroCo” as it has more loosely been referred to – is still progressing through a methodical, step-by-step process.
Lacey Reichwald, who serves on the GroCo’s board of directors, gave a brief progress update on the venture at the city’s most recent Community Development Authority meeting on May 27.
A visit to the CDA, Reichwald said, was a logical process since the quasi-independent body provided seed money to help the proposal germinate four years ago.
“Incorporation (of the GroCo) was made possible by a CDA grant that we are grateful for,” Reichwald said. “We continue to share that information when we present to other groups as an example of how grocery coops and cities can work together to meet the food needs in their communities.”
As of the May 27 meeting, Reichwald reported the GroCo has 754 owners committed to the venture – a statistic reflecting an uptick of about 30 new members in the past month-and-a-half.
“People are starting tog get excited again … as we start heading out of this pandemic,” Reichwald said. “There’s a desire to start bringing the community together.”
The renewed sense of togetherness and community, Reichwald said, is a launch pad for the GroCo’s continued behind-the-scenes planning processes.
Early in the venture, Reichwald and others playing a role in the planning process, initiated market studies, focus groups and other efforts to help build the conceptual building blocks for the proposal.
Based on its population, geographic location and other factors, Whitewater’s “trade area” is not optimal for a traditional grocery store — a concept that city officials have shared in the past half-decade as a separate effort to bring in a commercial grocer has taken place after Sentry’s shuttering.
But Reichwald said “a right-sized store” can be successful in the community, which has been a guiding principle as the planning process moves toward such efforts as site selection. The goal, she said, is a 7,000-square-foot store with room for expansion in the future.
“As you can imagine, that won’t be a small feat,” Reichwald said. “It’s very expensive to build a grocery store.”
While no firm timetable is in place for the GroCo’s opening, Reichwald said a capital campaign will take place as more details come together on the establishment’s location. She shed light on some of the key elements of an ideal storefront spot.
“We want to make sure that we have access to a main thoroughfare, that we have plenty of parking, that we have a loading dock for trucks to unload groceries,” she said.
Patrick Singer, who chairs the CDA’s board of directors, said is appreciative of the planning that has taken place in the past four-plus years.
“We appreciate all the work, Lacey, that you and the whole GroCo group have done so far,” Singer said.
