October 17, 2012
Buying Club Underway!
The Chester Co-op has been working hard to make the Buying Club happen, and it will finally be starting next week on Saturday, October 20th from noon to 2! Please use this order form and send them in as an e-mail attachment to buyingclub@chestercoop.com before WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH. Please be aware that the Buying Club will now be every other week rather than every week; we want to thank Chester Eastside Ministries for hosting the Buying Club so you will be able to do your groceries with us once every two weeks.
Click here to download the order form
August 23, 2012
The Co-op is Moving!
After a busy year at our Avenue of the States location, the Co-op moved out and is moving to a location near Widener in Chester. We’ll be able to sell a wider range of goods (our new location is almost three times bigger than the old space!), and we’ll be more accessible to many Chester residents by setting up shop near a road with a lot of foot and road traffic as well as several bus stops close by. Moving out was a lot of work, but we’re excited about this new chapter in the Co-op’s life.
We packed everything up and officially moved out of our old location in early August. Right now we’ve been working out the logistics that come with moving, but we’ll be up and running again in the early winter, and we have some exciting projects in the works in the meantime. Even though we’re not selling produce and making coffees for the time being, we’re interested in having more member-owners on board and help from our members with initiatives such as fundraising. If you’d be interested in joining the Co-op, or if you’re a member who’s looking for a way to help out during this transition period, e-mail Marta at msicinska@chestercoop.com.
October 1, 2011
Eat Well, Seek Justice
In Chester, Pa., urban prophets and activists are offering good food, building community, and generating social capital at the Chester Co-op.
MARK! DO YOU WANT THESE ASPARAGUS? If you don’t take them, they’ll go bad,” says Tina Johnson. “Sure,” I reply, knowing that the asparagus had already endured a final round of weekly sales activity and, without refrigeration, probably wouldn’t last another week.
It was a year ago, and the end of my Saturday morning volunteer shift as a cashier at the Community Grocery Co-op, a market in Chester, Pa., a downtrodden post-industrial city of 35,000 people. The Co-op is an experiment in food democracy and sustainable living. Tina Johnson, its director, purchases wholesale fruit and vegetables—much of it locally grown—and, at that time, retailed her goods twice weekly in a jazz club in downtown Chester. It’s the only grocery store in Chester open on a daily basis because the supermarket chains have redlined the city as too great a financial risk.
Click here to read the full article.
March 1, 2011
We are open!
Chester’s Food Coop is a member-owned and operated food store-- an alternative to commercial profit-oriented business. As members, we contribute our labor: working together builds trust through cooperation and teamwork and enables us to keep prices as low as possible within the context of our values and principles. Only members may shop, and we share responsibilities and benefits equally. We strive to be a responsible and ethical employer and neighbor. We are a buying agent for our members and not a selling agent for any industry. We are a part of and support the cooperative movement.