I recently moved from the Big City to a Small Town and the weekend after I signed on the house I joined a group at their first meeting to launch an initiative with the aim of opening a member-owned food co-op in the sleepy small town's "downtown" area.
I have zero co-op experience despite living near a successful one in my Big City neighborhood (and feel slightly guilty about this, as an acquaintance was integral to its formation). I've gotten a sense from some of the members of the Small Town initiative of what a co-op is like, but I'm interested to know if anyone here regularly shops at one and, if so, why? What do you look for in a grocery store in general, and what makes the food co-op experience appealing to you?
This is an informal conversation starter, not at all part of any kind of survey, etc. Just curious to know if anyone in this community might have some insight into the subject that could inform and potentially guide my work with the group.