Wow, what a busy first month (or so) on the job, and what a job it is. I’ve had a crash course on the co-op project working side-by-side with Sheila Conboy each day. I have attended meetings, volunteered at local events, been interviewed twice for local papers, met with farmers, talked with several interested vendors, and moved into a new temporary office (Suite E at Joy Wheel Yoga’s Facility at 411 Main Street). I could go on and on. All of this has helped to get me up to speed. This is truly an exciting time for the co-op and for me and my family as well. It feels good to be back home in East Aurora.
As for the store, the work continues. Interior demolition is now complete, and we will soon begin re-constructing the empty shell into the co-op we all envision. There have been a few hiccups along the way, but that’s to be expected when re-modeling a 100-year old building. As you pass by the site, you will notice the addition of the store vestibule under way, as well as the addition of the receiving area at the rear of the store. It will be fun to watch as the rest of the building transforms into a store we will all be proud to call our own.
We have established numerous vendor contacts. We have service providers calling us asking for the chance to be part of this co-op. I have had several inquiries from people wanting to work at our store. Our consultants (National Cooperative Grocers in Minneapolis) continue to rave about our people and their efforts and commitment to see this project through to our collective goal: having a vibrant successful store we are all proud to call our own. I am thrilled to be a small part of this effort.
This is the first of several updates I’ll be sending over the coming weeks and months as we move closer to opening day. If you have questions, please feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. I will try to answer your emails as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued commitment to the co-op. We’re stronger together.
Terry