Chamber joins grocery co-op effort

Leadership class to hold informational membership drive May 13

WINSTED >> Two weeks ago, a group of residents met at the Community Bookstore to discuss an effort to open a grocery store co-op in town. Since then, some of those organizers reached out to the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce’s leadership class, and the idea for the co-op is moving forward with a membership drive and informational event.

The leadership class’ event is set for 10:30 a.m. May 13 at the Health Food Corner in downtown Winsted. Members of the class issued a press release Monday morning.

Robert Bailey, owner of the Health Food Corner, is listed as one of the co-op Board of Directors on its website. He declined to comment on the event Monday, noting that he was in negotiations to merge with the co-op at this time.

The first steps toward the coop, dubbed the “Mad River Market,” were taken in October 2016, according to Phillip Allen, a member of the co-op Board of Directors, as well as chairman of Winsted’s Economic Development Commission. Papers to incorporate the company as an LLC were expected to be filed in the next seven to 10 days, business and marketing plans had been developed, and input from local residents was being gauged through an ongoing survey.

The co-op plan is a response to the upcoming closure of the Winsted IGA Super Saver market on Main Street. Its owner, John Dwan, announced his plans to retire. Dwan has also been involved with the co-op idea since the beginning.

The group set its sights on the Super Saver, but not before a community health clinic based in Torrington applied for a special permit to convert the space into a larger facility for its patients. That application was recently heard at a hearing with the Planning and Zoning Commission and was rejected, with members of that board saying they were concerned about preserving the character of the downtown area, and that a health clinic wasn’t the right use for the building.

For the leadership class, the idea of a cooperative grocery store that is owned by its members “struck a chord,” member Alicia Delibro Landy said Monday.

“The IGA is closing in Winsted, and there’s a movement not to have a food desert,” she said, referring to the fact that the Super Saver is the only fullservice grocery store downtown.

Holding the membership drive on May 13 will also allow the members of the class to sign up as members if they wish. The class, Landy said, challenges members to come up with a project that will have a lasting impact. The membership drive, she said, fit the bill. The results could be handed over to the coop Board of Directors in the future.

Community Lawyer Charlene LaVoie of Winsted said Monday that Jane Williams, continuing education coordinator at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, attended some of the early meetings of the co-op group’s Board of Directors, and the idea had sprung from there.

“It came about as a result of our very early organizing efforts,” said LaVoie.

LaVoie said Monday that she is involved in organizing the co-op effort, as part of her role as the community lawyer.

The co-op members want to sign up 500 members by summer, LaVoie said.

Reaching this mark will allow the group to indicate to organizations that support co-ops nationally, she said, that the idea has been backed with support for the community, and perhaps bring in funding.

The future location of the Mad River Market has not been determined, LaVoie said, and the Super Saver building — the original site, remains a possibility.

The timeline for launching the co-op, LaVoie said, is uncertain, and dependent on a number of factors — including whether it can open in the former market, or have to be created from scratch.

Information on the co-op is on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/Mad-River-Market-1215240191929281/ and https://madrivermarket. squarespace.com/partners.