News & Events
Wild Onion Market’s First Holiday Season
It’s WOM’s first ChristmaHanuKwanzika! We are beyond grateful to have reached this special milestone, and it’s all thanks to you. We wish you and your loved ones a holiday season filled with warmth, joy, and an abundance of cheer. Stop in to see our selection of local vendor items, latke ingredients, Gift cards or Gift Ownership/Memberships and all things needed to celebrate New Years Eve!
Our FINAL CO+OP DEALS of the Year Starts Today – Holiday Shopping Made Easy!
Dear WOM Shopper, Our CO+OP DEALS CYCLE OF THE YEAR Starts Today! Can you believe the year is almost over? We’re thrilled to kick off our final Co+Op Deals cycle, featuring new items that will help you wrap up your holiday shopping in style. Looking for the perfect...
Tis the season to be WILD
Stretch your holiday budget with Wild Onion Market Gift Cards! Through the month of December get a free $20 gift card when you purchase $100 worth of WOM gift cards in store! We also offer a wide range of fantastic local vendors, so you can shop local and support our community this holiday season!
Turkey Time. Wild Onion Market’s 1st Thanksgiving!
Check out Wild Onion Market’s holiday hours. Wild Onion Market is excited to announce that we now carry bulk cleaning products from local vendor, Meliora Cleaning Products. Also, learn more about Jake’s Country Meats.
Owner Newsletter November 5, 2024
Recent Celebrations Brought Us Together Last month's events have kept the market bustling with activity! The Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 26, and last Tuesday's debut Owners' Happy Hour social brought owners together to enjoy the season's bounty and one another's...
Get your Holiday Essentials at Wild Onion Market
Dearest Reader, Need to Prep for the Stuffing Holiday? We've Got You Covered! From holiday treats to baking essentials, stuffing, brine kits, and even a full selection of Pyrex dishes—everything you need to make your celebrations extra special is here! Not in the mood...
Turkeys are sold out!
Dearest WOW Reader, We are fully in Turkey season! Our local frozen turkeys from Ferndale Farms in Minnesota are sold out! They were gobbled right up! Thank you! Today marks the start of a new sale cycle! Our Co+op Deals are centered on Field Day items, our everyday...
Reserve Your Bird Today!!
UPDATE: Turkeys are now sold out for the thanksgiving holiday! Reserve your bird! Our frozen, free range, and antibiotic free turkeys are local from Ferndale Farms in Southeast Minnesota. Whole Turkey: $1.99 per lb. Sizes range from: 10-12 lbs., 14-16 lbs., and 18-20...
Turkey pre-orders will begin November 4th
Wow! We had a wonderful harvest festival last weekend! Can you believe it is time to order your turkey? Turkey pre-orders will begin November 4th! Come in and check out our latest Fresh Deals & Co-op Deals! Now in store, Riojana Wines! These beautiful wines are made by La Riojana Co-Op in Argentina. See you soon!
Celebrate Harvest Season with Us!
It is Harvest Season and we’re celebrating! Join us this Saturday, October 26, 2024, from 10am – 2pm for our first annual Harvest Festival. The Harvest Festival is free to the public and open to all. Guests will enjoy music by acoustic trio, For the Birds, demonstrations by Dinner Belle chef, Jacquelyn Lord, and meet local vendors such as the Chicago Cane Cooperative, Collective Resource Compost Cooperative, Maple Valley Coop, Big O’ Smokehouse, and more!
Special Invitation! Come to the Harvest Festival, Deals, and More!
Join us as we host our first annual Harvest Festival celebrating all the bounty of the harvest. We will celebrate the harvest season as well as National Co-op Month with live music, activities, hot apple cider, and giveaways! Also, check out our Fresh Deals this week! Featuring organic Honey Crisp apples, Niman Ranch Sausage & Andrew and Everett Shredded Cheeses!
Support Co-Ops Impacted by Hurricane Helene
The National Co+op Grocers (NCG), where we’re a member owner, have reached out to us about how to help co-ops impacted by Hurricane Helene. In partnership with the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), NCG has set up a matching donation campaign through CDF’s Disaster Recovery Fund to support these members and their staff. If you can, donate today and NCG will match up to $100,000 in donations made through this link through October 31.
Pumpkins in Store Now! Fall is HERE!
Fall is here! Pumpkins are in store! Large pumpkins are $4.99ea & small are $2.99 per pound! Shop our fall Fresh Deals and checkout our in store demos of Dr. Bronner’s Chocolate Bars! Meet the team from A Just Harvest and help them support & feed our communities by rounding UP at the register!
Fall Flash Sales While Supplies Last!
Don’t miss out on our exciting limited-time Flash Sales! This is your chance to snag some fantastic deals on your favorite items. Hurry, though—quantities are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone! Be sure to check back frequently to catch the latest offers and make the most of these incredible savings. Happy shopping!
Check out our savings throughout the store!
Come in and save throughout the store! This week’s featured vendor is Gifted Breads – a fantastic Chicago artisan bakery. Try out our in store demo of Chelsea B. Drugstore beverages. AND learn more about Down at the Farms, they represent & distribute foods from over 100 top local food producers in Central Illinois!
Wild Onion Gives Back with Round UP at the Register
In alignment with the 7th Cooperative Principle: Caring for the Community, starting Wednesday, September 11th (today!), we will begin fundraising for A Just Harvest, a local non-profit. Wild Onion Staff will ask if you’d like to round your transaction up to the...
Fall Savings with Co+op Deals Coupons!!!
Fall Savings at Wild Onion Market: Co+op Deals Coupons worth over $105 on favorite brands and products! Everyone can shop, anyone can become an owner!
Labor Day Weekend Deals!
Labor Day weekend: the unofficial end to summer and the perfect excuse for one last barbecue! Check out Wild Onion Market for your Labor Day needs! Shop our Buy One Get One Deals through September 23rd!
Buy One, Get One Free on Select Items!
Look at us GROW! Take a look at this week’s Fresh Deals. Come in to shop and enjoy our buy one get one free sale on select items. We also offer gift cards! See you soon.
Back to School Deals at Wild Onion Market
Shop our back to school deals! We have a fantastic assortment of healthy snacks to choose from! Also, check out our featured local vendor, Bright Endeavors, a Chicago-based candle company, creates home fragrances that evoke comfort and security. Their candles, hand-poured by young mothers in a job training program, support strong families and bright futures.
Your Wild Onion Weekly Deals
Your Wild Onion Market Weekly Deals! Fresh is best! This week we have deals on bananas, celery, Ski Queen Cheese, & Sharifa Jalapeño Sausage! Our featured local vendor is Zymosi Kiefer, crafted in Illinois, is made from whole milk sourced from cows that graze on rich, green pastures! Yum!
We are OFFICIALLY Open!
Did you get a chance to swing by our grand opening last Saturday? With a full day of events, not only did the first 50 visitors receive a goodie bag, highlights included music from duo Steve Gibons and Gabriel Datcu, Bengali music group Ochin Pakhi, magic by Rebecca Spectre, a workshop on buying in bulk, trivia games, and giveaways.
Grand Opening! SNAP update! DEALS!
Beginning at 10 am, we will open our store and the first 50 visitors will receive a goodie bag! From 10am-4pm we have a full schedule of events. Remember our store opens at 10am that day and we will close at 8pm (instead of our usual 8am-8pm). We are also excited to announce that we accept SNAP / EBT now!
Grand Opening: Join Us for Music & Magic Saturday, July 27th 10 am to 4 pm
We have great music to open and close the day. We’ve got magic and activities for children. We have several vendors participating and bringing samples. And we’ve got a presentation on how to use Wild Onion to reduce your reliance on single use plastics.
Fresh Deals & Grand Opening July 27th!
Come join our Grand Opening Celebration! We invite you to stop in and shop on Saturday, July 27th from 10am-4pm to shop special deals, sample our local vendor’s products, and try your chance at giveaways!
We’re Open, Growing, and Preparing a Grand Opening
Staff are hard at work getting the store ready in preparation for our Grand Opening on Saturday, July 27. If you saw us in our first days, we invite you to come back and check us out as we learn and grow.
Wild Onion Market is Open for Business
We did it! Wild Onion Market is open for business. Thank you to the folks from National Co-op Grocers Association and Sugar Beet Coop who helped us get ready. About 100 people attended our ribbon cutting ceremony, including Vice-President Irv Loundy from Devon Bank, state legislator Kelly Cassidy (D-14th), and Kyle Ryan from Alder Maria Haddon’s office.
Join us for Ribbon Cutting at 12 noon on June 12 to open our doors
Please join us Wednesday at noon as we launch our community-powered local business! Come shop the market to keep our dollars in our community, sustain a transparent, just, and accessible food chain, and support our grocery’s fair-paying jobs. The shelves are stocked with fresh produce, all the best local offerings, affordable organic staples, gourmet cheese, and a fantastic bulk section!
We Open in 6 Days!
After a decade-plus-long journey, Wild Onion Market will open its doors io the public at noon on Wednesday, June 12! Please join us for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate this milestone event!
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony June 12
Join us at noon, Wednesday, June 12th for our ceremonial ribbon cutting to open the store. We are expecting local officials as well as members and supporters.
Store Opening June 12
It’s All Coming Together for Our June 12 Opening! Equipment and supplies continue to come in. Teresa and Chris are happy to receive and place shelving, bulk scoops, U-boats and other items we need to operate the store.
Spring Newsletter May 2024
To ensure the success of our coop, we need to continue to spread the word, both to welcome new owners and to let the community know that anyone and everyone is welcome to shop at Wild Onion Market. Therefore, we are planning to publicize the coop at the Evanston Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, Glenwood Sunday Market, beginning June 2nd, and at Metra and CTA Red Line stations in Rogers Park.
May Newsletter 2024
A fully stocked, fully staffed Wild Onion Market goes live on June 12! From that date on the co-op will serve the public seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm. It will be an exciting time to check out the brand new co-op and make it your go-to place for groceries of all types.
April Newsletter 2024
After ten years of effort, we made it! Wild Onion Market expects to open as a full-service grocery co-op the second week of June! Our new General Manager, Teresa Meza, began her work on April 1.
March Newsletter 2024
Our 2024 Board Elections have wrapped up! Thank you to all who participated in our cooperative democracy and voted for our new Directors. The new Directors will begin their terms April 1. Please join me in welcoming and congratulating our new Directors! Helen...
January Newsletter 2024
Follow along as we get closer and closer to Opening Day. A multistage pre-opening marketing plan is in the works. Postcards will be sent out to over 30,000 households in early February. Also, watch for the Open House that will be coming up later in February to show off our new store to owners and the public!
Fall Newsletter 2023
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! Read our fall newsletter and learn about our latest events and progress on our market!
September Newsletter 2023
Momentum is growing! Construction is well underway, Devon Bank has approved our loan, we’re in the final push to raise the last funds needed, and to get to 2000 Owners by December. Join Us!
July Newsletter 2023
With 70 new Owners in the last month, we’re well on our way to the 2000 Owners needed to open OUR store! Spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Join our welcoming community.
June Newsletter 2023
We are thrilled that Wild Onion Market has been awarded a highly competitive ETOD (Equitable Transit Oriented Development) grant from the City of Chicago. The ETOD initiative is intended to revitalize communities in underserved Chicago transit corridors. It is an honor to be included alongside so many worthy community projects.
April Newsletter 2023
In Memory of Debbie Hillman: Debbie Hillman was Owner #604 of Wild Onion Market. She was a longtime contributor to this newsletter, sharing meaningful information about events, organizations, policy and research in her monthly Food Politics Corner column. We will remember Debbie fondly and are grateful for her involvement and passion.
March Newsletter 2023
Thank you to all Owners that participated in our cooperative democracy and voted for our new Directors. The voting period ended on March 15, the new Directors will begin their terms on April 1. The Board will self-select Officers at its first April Board meeting. Please join us in sincerely thanking Michelle Parker-Katz, My Nguyen, Cam Davis & David Mark for their Board service. All four will be rolling off at the end of March.
February 2023
Are you an Owner? Consider running for a Board of Director position. Why? Because it’s exciting, satisfying, and at times challenging – but always about learning and growing as we represent Owners’ ideas and work around this focus as we state in the Board application
January 2023
There is great progress being made! We are set to begin the first phase of construction in the next couple of weeks. The construction team will be digging trenches in the concrete floor to install plumbing, frame walls, and complete the first phase of plumbing and electric. This is all the work that happens before the walls are closed in. This first phase is scheduled to take 5-6 weeks, and the build-out from start to finish is scheduled to take about 16 weeks!
December 2022
The goal is to reach 1600 Owners by the time the market opens, hopefully in Spring of 2023 if we can raise remaining funds quickly. Please join us as an Owner if you haven’t yet (scholarships are available).
November 2022
My name is Kristin Alexander and, along with Kim Stover, I have been volunteering countless hours over the past 15 months managing everything related to our site selection and store build out. As a social worker and physical therapist respectively, we have learned more than we ever imagined about grocery store equipment, design and construction! We are so close! Please help us bridge this gap by making a tax-deductible donation. Any amount you can give will help get the store open as soon as possible.
October 2022
After a months-long search for the ideal candidate, Wild Onion Market has brought on John Calhoun, who will officially begin tomorrow, November 1. There will be many opportunities to get to know John over the coming weeks, and an introduction from John is below. Mark your calendars: meet and greet at the store, 7007 N. Clark, this Saturday, Nov 5th 10 AM-noon.
September 2022
A huge thank you to our Spring Capital Campaign team who raised over $500,000 to open our co-operative grocery store. We are getting ready to launch the Fall Campaign Event on Sunday, October 16th and many of our callers will be returning and will be joined by new callers. Our closers did an amazing job of getting documents completed and funds to Wild Onion Market.
August 2022
Our store can’t open without you! Almost 150 Owners showed up and invested in our Capital Campaign this Spring to raise $527,000, a great start! Now is the time for you other 1,200 Owners to invest or donate to raise $600,000 more. Learn more about what we still have to accomplish…
July 2022
A most heartfelt thank you to Debbie Hillman for her Food Politics Corner contributions to the Wild Onion Market newsletter for well over a year. It’s been an important and interesting resource, highlighting significant news, events, and organizations working towards food justice – we hope to keep this section going. Debbie, your efforts have been very much appreciated!
June 2022: Special Note
Building a food cooperative means standing up to corporate bullies who want to control what we feed ourselves and our families. And while this is our “lane”, we want to offer support and visibility to all those personally, deeply, materially, and emotionally affected by the news on Friday June 24th, 2022. We believe here that all people have a right to decide what is right for themselves and their families and we will continue that belief and fight in every way we can.
June 2022
A huge THANK YOU to our team of Owner/volunteers: Nancy, Betty, Paula, Maureen, Greg, Ariel, Matt, Sandy, Roxanne, Jodh, Lin, Rachel, Ann, Barry, Adam, who together have raised over $500,000 to build our grocery store.
May 2022: Breaking News!
Wild Onion Market just won Best of the Best Start-up Food Co-op in the country! Out of almost 100 emerging food co-ops in the United States, we have been recognized at the Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference for our exceptional community organizing and project development.
May 2022
We are down to TEN DAYS left in our Capital Campaign. NOW is the time to step up and make your investment in our community-owned grocery store. Co-ops like ours are built by and for our community, with the help of each and every Owner. We need the support and help of our entire community to be able to open the doors to our store. With how far we’ve already come, it’s easy to see how we’ll cross the finish line together.
April 2022
It it out of respect and care for the Earth and humankind that Wild Onion Market is being built. Wild Onion Market and Evanston Development Cooperative base their business models on a cooperative structure that puts people and planet first before and without being beholden to shareholders or corporate interest. Both businesses are completely community-owned and managed.
March 2022
Check out the design of Wild Onion Market’s new 7007 N. Clark Street location! We will serve up community, local/sustainable produce, a coffee bar with seating and three bulk sections! We need 400 more Owners by the time we open the store, which we hope will be this year! Join us and become a member today!
February 2022
Have you heard the news? After 8 years of hard work, we have signed a lease for 7007 N. Clark Street! Our architect and store designers are busy working on the store layout and design, and we hope to get all necessary documents to the city for permitting in the next couple of months.
January 2022
We found it! We are signing a lease this month for the Wild Onion Market retail location. There will be a big announcement for our Owners later in January, and for the public and press shortly thereafter.
December 2021
While we have reached a major milestone in welcoming over 1,000 households and local businesses to the food co-op as Owners, spreading the word and growing the ownership base continues to be important! YOUR HELP IS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED!
December 2021: Special Note
Today we are over 1,015 Owners and counting and we need full community support to open our store. If you’e still waiting for a sign to join, or need a reason to participate in our first round of fundraising, consider this…
November 2021
In case you haven’t heard, Wild Onion Market is fast approaching our goal of 1,000 Founding Owner households. Founding Owners are local visionaries who see the possibility of a community owned grocery store…
October 2021
Over 70 people gathered under the lights to talk, meet, and make new connections. We come together in person and in great spirits to build our market and support our communities.
September 2021
We are so Excited! We have an architect, store designers and an equipment procurement specialist all ready to start working! Now we just need to sign a lease…
August 2021
There are currently 860 Wild Onion Market Owners. The first 1000 will be forever known as the Founding Owners, visionaries who are building a community-owned grocery store as part of a robust local and sustainable food system.
July 2021
Wild Onion Market is our market. We’ll keep dollars local, support local farmers and producers, and help build a sustainable food production and packaging system. Join here! Spread the word! Share and comment @WildOnionMarket on Facebook and Instagram Help Reach the...
June 2021
Wild Onion Market is our market. We’ll keep dollars local, support local farmers and producers, and help build a sustainable food production and packaging system. Join here! Spread the word! Share and comment @WildOnionMarket on Facebook and Instagram Section...
May 2021
Wild Onion Market is our market. We’ll keep dollars local, support local farmers and producers, and help build a sustainable food production and packaging system. Join here! Spread the word! Share and comment @WildOnionMarket on Facebook and Instagram
April 2021
Wild Onion Market is our market. We’ll keep dollars local, support local farmers and producers, and help build a sustainable food production and packaging system. Join here! Like & Follow Wild Onion Market on Facebook,...
March 2021
Owner Number Update: Our co-op is growing, nearing 700 Owners! We hit two records with the highest ever new Owner numbers in January and February. Help us smash through 700 Owners in March! Join by purchasing a one-time only Owner share ($250 per household/business)....