Willy Street Cooperative
 | |
| Company type | Consumers' Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retailing |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Organic food |
| Members | 28,000 |
| Website | willystreet.coop |
The Willy Street Cooperative (locally known as the Willy Street Co-op) is a food cooperative located in Madison, Wisconsin that specializes in natural, organic and locally produced foods. The co-op offers products from over 180 local farmers and vendors. The cooperative is owned by over 33,000 equity-owning members.[1]
The co-op is an economically and environmentally sustainable, cooperatively owned grocery business that serves the needs of its owners and employees. WSGC supports local and organic suppliers throughout south-central Wisconsin.[2] It operates according to seven basic principles, sometimes known as the Rochdale Principles.[3] The cooperative has assisted struggling cooperatives such as the Yahara River Grocery Cooperative in Stoughton.[4]
History
[edit]The Williamson Street Grocery Co-op opened in 1974 at 1101 Williamson Street, sharing the space with the workers cooperative Nature's Bakery.[5] The co-op relocated to 1014 Williamson Street in October 1974. They outgrew the space and relocated again in October 1977 to 1202 Williamson Street. A board of directors was elected from the membership in 1979. Originally managed as a collective, the staff was restructured in 1982 and a general manager was hired.[6]
Willy Street Co-op grew over the next two decades; then, in 1998, the co-op purchased and remodeled the Eagles Club at 1221 Williamson Street.[6] After years of planning and selecting two sites that didn't work out, the cooperative opened a second store, dubbed "Willy West," at 6825 University Avenue in Middleton in November 2010.[7][8] Willy Street Co-op opened their third store, Willy North, located at 2817 North Sherman Avenue, in August 2016.[9]
Scenes from the comedy series Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager were filmed on location at the Willy Street Co-op, which serves as "Empire Market," the primary location for the series.[10][11][12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Willy Street Co-op National Cooperative Grocers Association.
- ^ Willy Street Co-op. Dane Buy Local.
- ^ ICA Co-operative Principles, 1937, 1966, and 1995 revisions.
- ^ "New Chapter for the Yahara River Grocery Cooperative". WMTV. March 20, 2009.
- ^ Ivey, Mike. Biz Beat: Willy St. Co-op turns 35. The Cap Times. 14 Oct. 2009.
- ^ a b "Willy Street Co-op History". Willy Street Co-op. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ Burns, Jane (November 13, 2010). "Willy Street Co-op's long-awaited second store is ready to debut". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ Byrne, Michael. "What's in Store for You". Willy Street Co-op.
- ^ "You are being redirected..." www.willystreet.coop.
- ^ Foley, Ryan J. (February 25, 2007). "Chad Vader's popularity out of this world on Web". The Seattle Times.
- ^ "Chad Vader | Willy Street Co-op". willystreet.coop. 2012-02-08. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ Knutsen, Kristian (February 1, 2009). "MadVideos -- Chad Vader Season 2 Episode 1 production notes". Isthmus.