The Badger Herald

NEWS

Mifflin co-op votes to research move

Derek Montgomery

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Also by Derek Van Riper:

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Mifflin co-op votes to research move (December 3, 2004)
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by Derek Van Riper

Friday, December 3, 2004

The city’s smallest co-operative, the Mifflin Community Co-op, may soon be taking a big step into expansion.

By a 23-8 vote, the co-op passed an amended proposal to research a move into Metropolitan Place Condominiums. In a general-membership meeting Thursday night, members made an agreement to move forward with research and planning necessary to evaluate the feasibility and desirability of the proposal.

The group will also seek aid from the Willy Street Co-op.

Conducting the necessary research will cost approximately $8,500 plus the cost of hiring a limited-term employee to coordinate the project. Early estimates indicate it will require approximately six weeks to complete.

The co-op’s new proposed location on the first floor of the second phase of the Metropolitan Place is a 15,000 square-foot retail space, more than 15 times the size of its current store.

Additionally, there would be 60 covered parking spaces and angled parking spaces on the street that would be shared with neighboring retail stores in the building, which would provide a significant upgrade from the co-op’s current situation.

Metropolitan Place owner Cliff Fischer said the need for a larger grocery outlet downtown is becoming increasingly important.

“Downtown is to become a place to live instead of just being urban sprawl,” Fischer said.

Jaimie Hoobler, a co-op staff member and three-year co-op employee, voted against the proposal. Hoobler said she feels that the project seems rushed.

“I’m not sure the energy and time will be well spent,” Hoobler said of the $8,500 required to research and fund the project.

Matt Stoner, produce manager/marketing coordinator for the co-op, shared a similar view, stating he felt time, energy and money might go to waste on the research project if the co-op finds it will not be able to survive in Metropolitan Place.

From a long-term perspective, the Mifflin group says the exact total cost is impossible to know, but their initial rough estimates include construction costs between $1 and 2 million, labor costs, a $150,000 per year lease, $250,000 in inventory purchases and additional professional-service fees.

Maintaining a large staff has been difficult for the co-op, particularly on the weekends. The store also sees high turnover rates between semesters, when schedules of employees are changing.

Leigh Weaver, purchasing manager at Mifflin, also said there are a high number of employees who, like Stoner, work in multiple areas of the store. Weaver also stressed the importance of volunteers to the co-op’s longevity.

“It hurts when you lose people with experience, but volunteers bring so much energy into the system,” Weaver said.

In spite of its struggle to keep a large staff, the store has reached a sales surplus the past three quarters. The term “surplus” is used rather than profit, since any gains the store makes remain within the store.

Following research, the group will meet again in January to determine if the move will be financially feasible.