Signage & Art Installed at 7007 N. Clark
Our entrance sign went up yesterday!
Artist Ryan Tova Katz is bringing our store interior to life with this beautiful mural, after painting exterior signage in August.
A new public mural, ABUNDANCE, by artist
PERU143, just went up on the north wall next to the co-op! We are so happy to be surrounded by beautiful art that represents our goals for the store and our community.
Putting a Polish on Construction
Our walls are up! Our floors are in! HVAC is installed!
Fall construction has followed a spring and summer of remarkable progress:
- Rough-in plumbing work and electric wiring to light the store and power our refrigerators, systems and equipment have been installed.
- Interior walls, ceiling, doors and frames are up and ready for the kitchen area, office spaces, and produce prep room; floors were finished.
- Renowned local muralist Ryan Tova Katz painted the Wild Onion Market logo on the West exterior wall facing Clark Street and helped the store design team finalize the interior decor plan including in-store murals and displays, and the seating area for our coffee café.
- New and refurbished high-efficiency condensers have been installed on the rooftop for refrigeration.
- Next steps include painting walls and screwing in the hardware.
A huge thank you to our fantastic construction team – we’re so grateful for you!
Turning Empty Space into a Grocery Store
Now that the interior construction, design and décor is nearing completion, we are preparing to install the store equipment: a 10-door freezer case, coolers, shelving, grain barrels, kitchen equipment, and three 24-foot display cases for dairy products, fruits, herbs and vegetables, plus a misting system to keep the produce fresh.
Once the equipment is installed – along with a Wi-Fi system, cashier payment stations, and café – the market will begin posting the jobs we need to fill: staff to stock the shelves and display cases, check out customers, bag groceries and run the store. The final step will be to stock the co-op with healthy, local food.
A Magical Evening Yields Real Results
Our Oct. 10 evening – chock full of music and dancing, food and drinks, silent and live auctions, plus a bunch of fun friends and neighbors – yielded more than $70,000!
The magical event anchored our Stock the Shelves campaign, whose goal is to raise $294,000 from Owner investments and donations to:
- Fund equipment purchases and refurbishment: $82,000 – ACHIEVED!
- Hire staff: $60,000 – PENDING
- And, of course, stock the shelves: $152,000 – IN PROGRESS
Let’s complete our Stock the Selves campaign by pledging here.
Seeking Grants
Wild Onion Market founder Mary Meyer has put the finishing touches on our latest grant application – keep your fingers crossed, and keep reading our newsletter, website and social media for updates.
Beating the Odds
Most new stores stay open less than 5 years. That’s according to Katie Novak Cooperative Coaching, whose research found that the success rate of a typical retail establishment after 5 years is just 47%.
But co-ops fare much better: nearly 4 in 5 (79%) pass the 5-year mark with their doors still open and offering their neighbors a cornucopia of fresh, tasty, healthy, natural and sustainably produced food. Please consider investing in success: Make your pledge HERE.
A Call to Action for Owners: Spread the Word!
The list of Owners has grown from 5 in 2014 to 1770 today – people from all over Rogers Park, Edgewater, and South Evanston and beyond – who have raised over 85% of the initial operating expenses; less than 15% remains to cross the funding finish line and open our doors early next year. A huge thank you to our community of owners. We have raised $1,000,020 to open the store, the amount remaining to be raised is $159,980. We can do this!
Help spread the word about Wild Onion Market and our progress:
- Talk to your friends and neighbors about how they can join us as an Owner.
- Tell your story: Comment on @WildOnionMarket posts on Facebook and Instagram – tell us why you joined
- Track our progress towards opening the store: Support Stock the Shelves by making a further investment or donation, options are explained here.
Wondering what could be a thoughtful and personalized gift for your loved one this holiday season? Local food is always something to celebrate! Gift someone a Wild Onion Market Ownership this year!
You can fill out the Owner form in the person of your choice’s name or give them the $250 for their Owner investment.
See the form here.
Thank You & The Road Ahead
A heartfelt thank you for John Calhoun, who has served as our General Manager for the last year. We wish John all the best as he moves out of the role, thank you so much for all of your efforts.
Two very experienced project managers, Chris Gilbert and Rob Martin, have been brought on board to help guide Wild Onion Market to its opening early next year. They will finish the planning and operational work required to make what is now a finished space into an operating grocery store. This involves completing fundraising, budgeting, staffing, merchandising, and getting to doors open! The Board of Directors is at the same time working on hiring new leadership to run Wild Onion Market going forward.
Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns you may have to your Board of Directors: Board@wildonionmarket.com.
