The first of these many catastrophes occurred during the summer; the cooler leaked causing the floor to heave up. One month later, rippling was noticed in the newly installed floor as well as buckling in the floor near the bathroom due to water leaking out of a pipe. While the pipe recieved repairs, mold was found in the damp area, which required immediate measures. A barrier was constructed around the damaged area, and all of the bulk food in the main store area had to be thrown away, resulting in significant financial loss.
“A lot of issues around the building itself have at times made us feel a little bit jinxed,” said Peter Meildaender, vice president of the board of directors of the Co-op.
Yet another disaster occurred when Hunter found the cooler malfunctioning. After calling forty-one different repairmen, she was finally able to find someone to fix the problem. However, after the man fixed the cooler, he left the temperature on too low, which caused the glass milk bottles to explode in the cooler.
After Hunter posted a message on Facebook about the incident, community members quickly responded and about twenty-five people showed up to help her clean up the frozen milk, orange juice, and shards of glass.
In addition to the structural concerns, there have also been challenges for the Co-op relating to the lack of sales. Though sales have been steadily increasing since September, “they are not at the level yet to keep [the Co-op] financially viable,” said Meilaender.
Focus groups have been organized to introduce new, different products. Because the majority of the stock is organic and local, some of it can be rather expensive for many community members and students. “We are trying to bring more conventional items into the mix, [and] I hope that a lot of things we are bringing in now will be more appealing to those on a student budget” said Meilaender.
When asked about the future plants for the Co-op, Dr. Sunshine Sullivan, president of the board of directions of the Co-op said, “I believe that it is with these local farmers and businesses that we partner with that the Co-op has the greatest potential for providing new local resources for both consumer and producer.”
Despite all of the difficulties, Hunter said, “Instead of feeling miserable, I came out feeling embraced.”
