Co-op Cohorts: Museum District North (NOKEN) Report

It is an exciting time to be living in Richmond!  Richmond has come a long way as a city and community just in the past 10 years to the point where it is today. The vibrancy of the city is being felt far and wide as can be seen in the numerous accolades Richmond has been featured in; Frommer’s Top Destinations for 2014, Forbes Up & Coming Cities for Entrepreneurs, Road Runners Club of America Runner Friendly Community.  Here in Richmond, we take pride in our food and like feeling of being part of something local.   From breweries, farmers markets, to creative cuisine, Richmond seems to embrace the want for locally sourced goods.

Being part of the Richmond Food Co-op will allow Richmond to once again have a community owned grocery store where they can shop for their local goods in a one stop spot.  As the winter months approach and the Farmers Market Season winds down it makes the need for a Food Co-op in Richmond even more important.    Being part of your local cohorts is also really important as we start to build a community feel for our food co-op. 

Myself, Kristina Preisner, and my boyfriend Ben Kusterer are the leaders of the North of Kensington neighborhood. We look forward to meeting you at future events, including our very first get together - a happy hour at Ardent Craft Ales tomorrow night (6-8pm)! We are hoping to meet many Co-op neighbors but also welcome anyone from our larger Co-op community (members and non-members alike; neighbors and not) to join us. 

-Kristina Preisner, NOKEN Cohort Leader

Co-op Cohorts are a new initiative of small neighborhood communities amongst our Co-op membership base. As we near 600 member/owners we want to ensure that you still have the opportunity to create meaningful relationships and networks amongst your fellow members. Our leadership team is growing with 6 Cohorts formed hosting get togethers. Each month we will take the opportunity to introduce you to the leaders and neighborhoods who make up our larger Co-op community. We are still looking for representation in a few pockets of town so email us if you're interested in getting involved!

Co-op Cohorts: Northside Report

My name is Brenna Wade and my boyfriend, Ken, and I joined the Richmond Food Co-op because we believe in really being a part of our community.  We are big supporters of small business and would find ourselves traveling here and there to stores and farmer’s markets for local bread, eggs, and different types of produce.  Both back in graduate school and busy with work and other activities, we found ourselves wishing there was a one stop shop full of local foods and that supported and gave back to the community in a way that convenient big box stores do not.  Needless to say, when we heard about the Richmond Food Co-op we joined right away! 

While we moved to the Northside neighborhood of Bellevue for a number of reasons, what really sold us was the deep-rooted bond between neighbors and active community.  As the neighborhood cohort for members north of Laburnum in Bellevue, Ginter Park, Rosedale, and Lakeside, I will be working hard to ensure that your voices are heard and am excited to bounce ideas off of you on how to root the Co-op deeper into our own communities.  I am excited to meet with all of my Northside neighbor co-owners and with those who simply want to learn more about it.  I will be working with the Bellevue Merchant’s Association and will be planning monthly events aimed at bringing the Co-op and the Northside together.

Now it’s your turn!  Get involved and work with fellow co-owners however you can and most importantly spread the word to those neighbors who haven’t heard of the Co-op yet.  We get closer to opening our doors with every new member that joins in our community.  If you would like to become more involved in any way or to become a Cohort for your individual neighborhood, contact Michele and let her know!  Hope to see all of you Northsiders at our first meet and greet on October 26th! 

-Brenna Wade, Co-op Member/Owner & NoLa Northside Neighborhood Cohort Leader