St. Catharines Downtown Association

Imagine a grocery store where customers are happy to wait in line at the checkout.

That's what it's like at Lexington Cooperative Market in downtown Buffalo, says the market's general manager, Tim Bartlett. That's because the customers are also the owners.

Instead of grumbling, "they say to the cashier, 'This is great that the store is so busy,' " said Bartlett.

"The real power of a co-operative is the fact the people in the community have ownership in a business that is serving the community. They are rooting for the business to succeed because it's their business. It's turning the retail dynamic on its ear."

Community activists in St. Catharines are working on a plan to establish a similar co-operative grocery store in the city core. At a budget committee meeting Monday, they received approval for a city contribution of $2,500, part of which will be used to pay for a $7,000 market feasibility study to be conducted by business students at Brock University.

"That's the question I have, will it be sustainable?" said Tisha Polocko, general manager of the St. Catharines Downtown Association.

"Obviously, a grocery store would help with an urban environment, when people don't have to venture out (to shop). It would be nice to have in the core, and I can see there would be a need for one, for sure."

Please see full story in The St. Catharines Standard at:

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3439659