Re: {Downtown Neighborhood Association} Digest for juneau-downtown-neighborhood-association@googlegroups.com - 2 Messages in 2 Topics

[Dennis Harris]

On Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:30:14 +0000, Judy Crondahl
<cron...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I was just at A&P and heard that Safeway is going to be taking over the
> store. Don't know any other details. Info from the prospective coop group
> has been quiet lately. Does any one else have any news? --Judy
>
My question is heard from who? A store employee that really
knows something? A Safeway employee? A manager? Or the
Foodland produce case rumor mill?

Who was the source, and can they back it up, or is it just a
rumor?

From my observation of current Safeway stores in the Pacific
Northwest region over the past several years, their current store
model is much larger than the space available, and would require
a much larger market population than downtown Juneau and Douglas.

I've heard lots of rumors, but no one I've talked to has ever
been able to name the source of their information. Until I know
that it comes from a credible source, I'm not believing any
rumors.

[Ken Burch]

One possibility to consider is that Safeway could purchase or rent the
property and then keep it empty, just to prevent the co-op from setting up
shop there.

They have a huge interest in making sure that people from downtown are
forced to go "out the road" to purchase groceries...the creation of a co-op
directly threatens that.
-Ken Burch

[Judy Crondahl]

Dennis -- I know how unreliable rumors can be. I didn't believe the rumor about A&P closing, either. Ken, I think upwards of $50,000 a month would be a lot for Safeway to pay to create a downtown consumer base for Fred Meyer. Until we hear real news, rumors (or personal contacts) are all we have to go on. In the meantime, I put my check for the Capital City Market in the mail yesterday. --Judy

[Suzanne McGee]

I've written and am putting my check in the mail today!

Suzanne McGee

[Ken Burch]

I'll be walking mine to the bank tomorrow or Friday.

Didn't mean to START a rumor...sorry. 

-Ken

----- Original Message -----

From: Suzanne McGee

To: juneau-f...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 8:20 AM

Subject: Re: {Downtown Neighborhood Association} Digest for juneau-downtown-neig...@googlegroups.com - 2 Messages in 2 Topics

[Capital City Market]

thanks everyone for your support!  Note that we cannot accept any money without a signed membership form, which is attached.  The form has instructions on where to mail the check and who to make it out to.  You can also drop off a check (or cash!) and your form at NorthWind Achitects 126 Seward St.(ask for evelyn). . 

[Tom]

It would be helpful if the membership form was a PDF so it could be printed and mailed in.

Tom Judson

<Founding Membership form.pdf>

[Kathy Hill]

Here is the .pdf again

[Capital City Market]

The form is a pdf; if for some reason you cannot open or print it we will have forms at the meeting on the 30th, or you can pick one up at NorthWind Archtiects 126 Seward St.

On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 1:05 PM, Tom <taja...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Tom]

Sorry, it wasn't showing as a PDF on my iPad...I simply need to hold my finger on it for a couple seconds and then open it in iBooks...my error.

<Founding Membership form.pdf>

[Ken Burch]

Not sure If I'll be able to be at the meeting...but wanted to put these ideas out there:

 

1)Don't know if there would be any paying positions in the co-op, but it there are, could we give some kind of first priority in hiring to the people who are going to lose their jobs at A & P?(especially the folks like checkers and shelve-stockers)?  These folks will be looking for work at the hardest time of year to find work in this town, and they have the practical experience needed in running a grocery store on a day-to-day basis.  Also, they represent the Rainbow(being largely working-class Alaska Natives, Filipinos, Latinos, African-Americans and working-class whites).  They represent the kind of people that co-op values should be trying to include in some way.

 

2)If the co-op gets going, would low income/unemployed membership rates be something that could be considered?  A co-op will have far less overhead than a conventional grocery, and I think this might be doable.

 

3)Related to that, will there be some way that the co-op could be a way to provide skill training to the currently unemployed?  Even if they were there as volunteers, this might be a way to give them work experience of some sort.

 

4)Could there, eventually, be classes in co-op operation and democratic management that might be offered for co-op members and the community as a whole?  That would be a way to help spread co-operative values and really have the co-op make a difference in this community.

 

Not looking for a debate here...just wanted to put these out there and see if in some way they could be put on the agenda for the meeting or future meetings.

 

Thanks.

[Sally Schlichting]

Ken,

 

These are excellent ideas, they get to the heart of the Co-op philosophy, and are definitely worth considering for our store.  I for one want to see a very community driven organization.  I think down the road, once a board for the cooperative has been elected and we have a membership body, that will be the time to explore such initiatives.  

 

Thanks very much for your thoughtful input.  Hang on these ideas.  We hope you can make the meeting.

 

Sally

[Dennis Harris]

On Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:27:40 -0800, Ken Burch wrote:

> 2)If the co-op gets going, would low income/unemployed
> membership rates be something that could be considered?
> A co-op will have far less overhead than a conventional
> grocery, and I think this might be doable.

Ken,

When we discussed membership at our meeting, the feeling was that
it would be structured like REI (also a coop) --- anyone could
shop there, but only members would be eligible for the dividend
based on purchases.