WE HAVE A NEW SPACE!!!

We've been incredibly fortunate over the past month: we exceeded our funding goal and, as of April 16, we just signed a lease for a storefront at 1083 Fulton Street.

Now the really hard work starts! Our initial goal of $30K was based on pre-determined bids and felt like a safe goal to insure we could win the campaign.  Now that our contractors, electricians, plumbers etc have had an opportunity to really look at the space, their bids are much higher.  Plus we have to get the bulk of the work done by May 1st, when we move into the new space. Here's what our relocation/renovation costs look like: 

See that big number at the top? It's wa-a-a-a-y more than we had imagined -- almost $23,000 more than our original campaign goal. So we STILL need your help! Tell your friends! And if you can spare it, please consider giving a bit more.

For this text translated in Spanish, please click here. 

Our Story

Ten years ago, a small group of neighbors in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn got together to start what would become one of only two wholly member-owned, operated, and supported food co-ops in the country.  We wanted to create something that was more than a grocery store. We wanted to be a community hub, a meeting place, a place that would feed not just our bodies but also our souls.

It took years of planning, scouting for equipment, building relationships with suppliers, and spreading the word throughout Brooklyn to open the Greene Hill Food Co-op. We began as a buying club, and then became a fully-functioning store. We faced challenges: scrambling to fill work shifts, facing the periodic breakdown of our well-used equipment, balancing our goal of ethical sourcing with our commitment to affordability, and dealing with cash-flow shortages. Over the years, with a growing membership now at over 300 people, we have been able to expand our hours and hire store coordinators.

We support local farmers, buying our produce, eggs, and grains from Lancaster County, our dairy from the Finger Lakes, and honey and maple syrup from upstate New York. We collaborate with producers and vendors in the city–from Granola Lab in Sunset Park to Bronx Hot Sauce. At the same time, we’re committed to providing members with household necessities made by larger distribution companies, and so we work with them to get those items at affordable prices.

We have built a co-op that we're proud of.

Why We Need Your Help

Crucial to opening the Greene Hill Food Co-op was our space. We found a great storefront on Putnam Street in Clinton Hill at well below market rate, and made it our home. The owners are long-time residents of the neighborhood and believed in our vision. But, last fall they told us that they were going to sell the building. This January, we found out that the building had been sold and that we have to be out by May 1.

The news could not have come at a worse time. Although our sales are steady, they are down from last year and our expenses have risen. Over the years we’ve built up debt: we were granted a generous loan from the Park Slope Food Co-op to buy equipment, and individual members have loaned the Co-op their own dollars.

In February of 2018, after some tough conversations, our Board of Directors voted to recommend that the Co-op close its doors. But, they also encouraged members to find other solutions. In a historic meeting, member-owners rallied together and voted to fight to keep our Co-op open by raising enough money to move to a new space. We would make Greene Hill 2.0 better than ever!

What Your Contributions Will Support

We are fiercely committed to our Co-op. Our members went bravely into the New York real estate market and have found a new space nearby, on the border of Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy. It would need a lot of love and even more work before we could move all of our inventory and equipment. To sign a lease we need to pay three month’s rent upfront; this is money that we do not have. That is why we are running this campaign. *Donations will allow us to secure the lease, protect the loans that our members have made, and any extra will help keep the Co-op financially stable, as well as support future growth!

In other words, please help us! We need you! 

*Please note that all donations made here through this Indiegogo campaign are NOT tax-deductible.

Abbi Jacobson plays a Co-op member on Broad City's episode "Co-op" filmed at Greene Hill. Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights residents, did you know you can get affordable, fresh produce in the neighborhood? Help us stay open, and this could be you!

WANT TO HELP MORE?

Here are some other things you can do:

• PROMOTE our Indiegogo directly to friends through social media, emails, or conversation. Indiegogo has some very easy ways to share our campaign directly to FB, Twitter, or direct emails to friends with pre-composed templates! Just click on those icons next to the “BACK IT” pink button on the campaign page! 
• COMMUNICATE our vision:  supporters are the Co-op’s greatest resource! Go out into the world and let people know why you choose to shop at the Co-op!
• COMMIT to raising a specific amount of money yourself and from family and friends. You and 4 friends giving $20 means $100 for the Co-op.
• OFFER A PERK: have a service or item you’d like to donate to our campaign? We’d love it! Click on "Ask A Question" at the top of the page and let us know what you can offer.
• BECOME A MEMBER! As part of the campaign, you can become a member for $25 off (we're waiving the admin fee).  Simply choose the "Tofu" perk on our campaign page.  Please note that by purchasing your membership through this campaign, your investment is a considered a donation and when you leave, your "investment" will remain with the Co-op. All Co-op Members-owners must work 2.5 hours every 4 weeks either in the store or on a committee. More info about our memberships can be found here. 

Keep scrolling down for fabulous perks!