End of an Era

Minneapolis’ first co-op closes

“You can’t close revolution,” read the purple sign leaning against the North Country Cooperative Grocery.

But financial troubles caused members of one of the Twin Cities’ oldest natural and organic food co-ops to end the stores’ 37-year run on Nov. 4.

Located near the University of Minnesota’s West Bank campus, North Country had been facing declining sales and a lack of weekly “big basket shoppers,” for the past 10 years, says Board President Marvin Loxterkamp.

After a closure vote by the board, North Country decided to try and revamp business instead. Loxterkamp says the co-op tried to increase profitability by hiring a general manager, cutting staff salaries, and catering more toward the community’s needs, but nothing left a lasting impact. “We’ve been continually fighting a losing battle,” he says.

North Country’s closure doesn’t reflect the health of the co-op industry, which Gail Graham, Mississippi Market co-op general manager, says is thriving. The Seward Co-op Grocery and Deli, which plans to expand and relocate a few blocks down the street, is about $25,000 from its $1.2 million fundraising goal, and the Wedge Co-op recently purchased an Eagan organic farm.

And although Loxterkamp notes that wide availability of natural and organic products may have had some impact on the store’s financials, the big chains didn’t run the co-op out of business. “Our store had been struggling for a long time,” he says. “Long before Wal-Mart and Target had these products.”

Adrienne Maiers, a U of M junior, shopped at North Country since her freshman year. She says it’s a big loss to the area to see such a historical icon disappear. “It just means we have to support other co-ops even more,” she says. a

Sara Schweid