Wild Onion Market, a co-op grocery store at 7007 N Clark St. in Chicago, will serve communities in Rogers Park, Evanston, West Ridge, and surrounding areas. We’ll keep dollars local, support local farmers and producers, and help build a sustainable food production and packaging system.
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We’re on the Final Leg of the Path to Opening
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!
Here’s more good news:
- Plumbing, electrical and HVAC inspections have been successfully completed.
- Health inspection is coming up.
- The Certificate of Occupancy inspection is scheduled for Feb. 1.
- Devon Bank is preparing to close on our loan.
- City of Chicago’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Pilot Program grant contract has been signed, enabling us to access the $250,000 grant funds to reimburse construction costs.
Final challenges to be met
People – Hire a General Manager, which will lead to hiring a Store Manager and the rest of the staff. Invite fellow community members to become owners and enlarge our community of owners by at least 200. (We have 1816 owners right now!)
Permits – Obtain the Certificate of Occupancy, which will let us get our business license, host an in-store event and get our grocery store up and running!
Capitalization – Complete the $2.6 million capitalization plan. When co-ops fail it’s usually because they are under capitalized. We are $94,000 away from our goal.
Food – When everything above is taken care of, we place our first product orders with our vendors and truly Stock The Shelves!
Project Manager Chris Gilbert, the board, and key volunteers are ushering Wild Onion Market towards being the co-op grocery store we’ve been working on for years. Soon, our enterprise will be providing a trusted business partner to local food producers and vendors, selling a wide selection of seasonal local items, offering bulk foods that eliminate unnecessary packaging, and providing employment opportunities for the community we serve.
We’re Hiring
The search is on for a General Manager. When that individual is hired, we will hire a Store Manager, who will be the second-in-command. Then we will be hiring full-time staff who will be responsible for various departments or functions of the store. The job description for the GM and details about how to apply can be found here.
Seeking Vendors
The mission of Wild Onion Market is to connect our shoppers to local, fresh, organic and sustainable goods in a full-service grocery store format. Our Project Manager will review all vendor requests and product suggestions and contact those who are a good fit for the needs of Wild Onion Market. Please get in touch with local@wildonionmarket.com to ask about becoming a supplier or to recommend one.
We’re So Close!
Here’s how you can help Wild Onion Market be a well-capitalized venture with wide community ownership, and a sustainable endeavor with strong leadership and healthy community engagement.
To succeed, we need to grow our ownership, finish raising the funds we need, and have new board members and volunteers join us.
Why join now
We need to reach at least 2,000 owners to assure our success. Every owner has invested $250 to create Wild Onion Market. To those who have waited for the right time, to be sure your investment will pay off, now is the perfect time to join.
Here are four reasons to become an owner now:
- You’ll be supporting a locally owned business and local producers.
- You’ll be keeping money in our local economy rather than lining the pockets of distant shareholders.
- You’ll have a say in the products we carry.
- You’ll be providing $250 toward our owner capitalization plan.
- And a bonus reason: you’ll be eligible for an owner discount.
Finish our fundraising
Creating our store requires $2.6 million. Wild Onion Market’s carefully thought-out capitalization plan includes funds from grants, owner equity, manufacturer support, bank loan, and the Stock the Shelves capital campaign. All of that plan has come together except for $94,000.
Invest your time on the board or a committee
To be the grocery co-op we’ve promised to be, we need a diverse board with expertise and commitment to lead Wild Onion Market and make it a vital contributor to our community. There are nine seats on the board, and seven of them will be open in our March election.
Any Wild Onion Market Owner can run for a seat on the Board of Directors by meeting the following criteria:
- Be an Owner in good standing by the time you submit your application. Note: if you are on a payment plan, you are eligible, as long as you are making regular payments.
- Have no substantial conflicts of interest,
- Attend at least one regular meeting of the Board of Directors (upcoming meetings are 2/7, 2/21, 3/6).
- If you have attended a Board meeting in the past, one of these meetings is not required, but attending meetings will bring you up to date on current Board issues.
- Attend one Orientation Session for Prospective Board Candidates. Please email board@wildonionmarket.com for the Zoom link.
- Saturday, February 3, 10:30-11:30am; or
- Tuesday, February 13, 7-8pm; or
- Wednesday, February 28, 7-8pm.
- Submit a complete application by 11:59 pm CST on Friday, March 8.
Portions of your application (e.g., candidate question responses) will be made available to all Owners in the election materials. Your name and a bio will be made available to Owners through communications to Owners.
We also need capable, energetic and committed people to join committees for community engagement, audit and finance, evaluation of the general manager, and governance. Email board@wildonionmarket.com to get involved.
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