by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
The Minnesota Street Market Food and Art Co-op, a cooperatively-owned store that sells local food and art, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in business with a variety of events.
The St. Joseph Farmers’ Market will be held at Minnesota Street Market on Fridays (Nov. 18, and Dec. 2 and 16). There will also be an Art Crawl on Nov. 26, a Fair Trade movie night on Nov. 29, treats during the St. Joseph Winterwalk on Dec. 2, an upcoming demonstration on making Master Tonic made with ingredients to help stay healthy through the winter, and a chocolate taste-testing event for the holidays.
Other events the Minnesota Street Market hosts include classes on making fermented foods, meet-your-farmer days, product presentations and art projects such as natural egg-dying with onions and beets and more.
General Manager Shar Bjerke said in a recent press release this year’s theme for the co-op is ” Cooperatives Build,” and that is what the Minnesota Street Market is doing.
She said the Minnesota Street Market is “looking ahead to build community, jobs and a better world as our small-town, one-stop-shop community and food center.”
Bjerke said they are doing this by practicing the seven cooperative principles that include voluntary and open membership; democratic member control; members’ economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training and information; cooperation among cooperatives and concern for community. Those principles were adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance in 1995.
The goal of the Minnesota Street Market Co-op, which opened July 1, 2011, is to provide “ethically-sound and environmentally-conscious goods and services community (residents) need at a rate they can afford.”
The market carries a range of fresh food, dry goods, beverages and household products. Foods sold are mainly organic, grown and raised locally.
Local artists exhibit and sell their work at the market. Art is sold on consignment with rotating art exhibits year-round.
Bjerke said shoppers often value environmentally-mindful consumption, care about supporting the local economy, like knowing where their food comes from, and save money through volunteer and member discounts.
Shoppers, she said, appreciate the health benefits found in the fresh local fruits and vegetables because they aim to reduce their carbon footprint, buy organic food to help prevent harmful pesticides and herbicides from entering water sources and food, and try to ensure their food does not contain genetically modified organisms.
The street market distributes its profits among members or re-invests them into the business that creates local jobs. She quoted from a Tidal Creek Cooperative Food Market eBook that “for every $1,000 a shopper spends at a co-op, $1,604 in economic activity is generated in the local economy. In contrast, only $1,365 is generated in the local economy when the same amount of money is spent at a conventional grocery store.”
People who volunteer at the market receive a 10-percent discount on store purchases for every eight hours worked per month. Volunteering offers a chance to learn new skills and gain experience of how a small grocery store operates. Tasks volunteers help with include ringing up purchases at the cash register, packaging deli salads or grab-and-go trail mix, restocking produce and more.
One volunteer, Deb Angulski, stated in the press release that she volunteers for many reasons including “surrounding (herself) with like-minded people, learning from the knowledgeable and friendly staff, seeing the local farmers come in when they deliver their meat, eggs and produce, and helping the co-op thrive.”
The market offers competitive and paid internships for College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University students to give them hands-on experience with different aspects of business management and leadership. Classes often tour the market.
Addie Carlson, a St. Ben’s graduate, is the new assistant manager. She brings experience from her family’s local maple syrup-production facility Wildwood Ranch on Kraemer Lake. Lisa Baker, also a St. Ben’s graduate, is the store’s new produce manager. She is one of the market’s certified-organic farmers at her farm Bakers’ Acres in Avon.
The market, located in downtown St. Joseph, is member-owned and member-governed. It’s open to the public, and no membership is required to shop there. However, memberships can be purchased for $100.
Member discounts, as well as senior and student discounts, are offered at the market. The Minnesota Street Market is governed by a board of directors which is elected by the member-owners.
Store hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
(From left to right) Grace Precourt, CSB student; Melissa Danzl; Seth Peterson, Information Technology coordinator intern; Laura Precourt, CSB student; Addie Carlson, assistant manager; Nick Harbeck, SJU student; Katie Stelzner, volunteer coordinator intern; and Anne Gleich, media coordinator intern, study packaging and discuss additives and ingredients at the Minnesota Street Market. Members of the co-op work to provide local, sustainable, organic, healthy and tasty foods.
A sign outside the Minnesota Street Market informs shoppers about upcoming events and foods of interest while (from left to right) Laura Precourt, CSB student; Melissa Danzl; Grace Precourt, CSB student; Katie Stelzner, volunteer coordinator intern; and Annie Gleich, media coordinator intern, visit. The Minnesota Street Market, located in downtown St. Joseph, recently celebrated its fifth year anniversary in business.
