At Home in a Grocery Store

Recently, our Marketing Director (and Natural Enquirer editor) Nicole asked me to write about the Co-op’s 50th Anniversary. I pondered her request and thought, perhaps after being here for just three years, I was not the best person for the assignment. But upon further reflection, I realized, I do have a valuable and unique perspective, although likely different than those of you who have been around the Co-op for multiple years, or even decades.

I expect that for many, Skagit Valley Food Co-op is an institution, one you have become accustomed to visiting and depending upon. But as we know, it is easy to become complacent and take for granted some of the special experiences of everyday life, like going to work, or grocery shopping. Yes, those are gifts, and for 50 years, our Co-op has been a place to do both, and I pause to appreciate the awesomeness of that feat.

My first brush working in the grocery world was as a 16-year-old kid in Massachusetts, and after high school, I decided to give the industry a shot as my work for the future. My first full-time job was for a chain called Finest – that was in 1978. I had not even completed my first full year of employment when the company decided to close dozens of stores in the region, including mine.

Next stop: Star Market. They operated one store on Cape Cod and dozens more in the suburbs of Boston. Again, after three years there, they sold the building I worked in to the Marshalls chain – store closure number two!

Tony with his citrus display at Purity Supreme Supermarket

That closure prompted me to move on to the New Hampshire area where I started working at Purity Supreme Supermarket Company, a privately-owned organization. I enjoyed six years at Purity before they sold out to an investment firm that gobbled up grocery stores, only to flip them. That sounded like trouble to me and fellow employees and proved to be true. One year later, the firm sold Purity Supreme to Stop & Shop. Another year later, Stop & Shop decided they didn’t want a store located that far north and sold to another chain called Shaw’s. So, in my 13-year grocery store career, I had seen six changes of ownership and too many closures.

I had had enough.

It was time for me to get out of grocery, but I needed to develop an exit strategy, which would take time. Some old colleagues had recently started working at a food store in Hanover, New Hampshire – a place called Hanover Consumer Cooperative. At the time, I thought, what a foolish name for a grocery store, and I had no understanding of how it operated. It was only eight miles from where I lived, but I’d never once stepped foot inside. I was hired as a part-time produce clerk, my decision, since it was meant to be temporary while I figured out my new career path.

After only a few weeks, I started to recognize a few unusual things. For one, Hanover Consumer Cooperative had been in existence since 1937. I wondered how it was possible for a grocery store to hang on for that long, given my experience. I then learned the store was owned by members of the community, and that those community members elected a Board of Directors in charge of hiring a General Manager to run the “consumer cooperative.” I didn’t really appreciate the power of such an ownership structure, but I knew it was very different than the capitalistic model I was trying to remove myself from.

My exit strategy quickly pivoted. I wanted to stay! But only if I remained within the consumer-owned model. I did stay, and eventually, worked my way from temporary employee to Director of Operations, with a Master’s Degree in Cooperatives and Credit Unions. Hanover was my home until 2015, when I furthered my grocery journey, embracing the opportunity to move out west and work for National Cooperative Grocers (NCG). NCG is itself a co-op, owned by food co-ops across the country, including ours. Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s investment in NCG grants us buying power and other economies of scale enjoyed by grocery conglomerates, without the capitalistic conglomeration.

Anyway, the job was rewarding, yet tiring. Four years of extensive travel, working with NCG food co-ops in what we call the Western Corridor, I missed being in my own store every day, and I missed being home.

Tony at our Feeding Skagit Forever event at The Lincoln Theatre

Over those four years, I became very familiar with all of the co-ops in the West, so when I heard Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s General Manager of 41+ years, Todd Wood, was planning to retire, my ears perked up. Todd’s reputation was strong, as was the Co-op’s. In the spring of 2019, I paid a visit to Skagit Valley, specifically to the Co-op.

Here comes my perspective. I parked my car and walked my way into the store. Immediately, I felt goosebumps as I stood beneath a historic brick building in an equally historic downtown. I remember thinking, what an unusual spot for a grocery store. I enjoyed how spectacular the plants looked outside as I entered the store and how many customers were milling about, chatting, admiring, and buying! As I made my way into the belly of the building, I became emotional, recognizing the specialness of this place in an instant. It was actually unsettling that in just a few seconds, I knew this is where I wanted to be. This place had energy, love, and soul. This was a community, and I knew it was special. I have probably visited more than 60 co-ops in my career, and this place – Skagit Valley Food Co-op – stood above them all. This must be the place.

So here I sit, typing away after three extraordinary years as the GM, and my initial emotions and thoughts remain: this place is amazing. I am so lucky to have landed here. Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a gem. However, even in recognizing all this, there are moments I find myself taking the Co-op for granted. A long day, a hard day, a grey day. But then the next day, when I arrive, I’m reinvigorated by the awesomeness of this place. Our place.

Our Co-op is the anchor of Downtown Mount Vernon, an asset to the surrounding region, and an unmissable pitstop for hungry travelers. For more than half a century, the Co-op has been an employer of choice. So many special people have proudly called themselves Co-op staff, and we are equally proud to call them ours. Every person has played a part in developing and sustaining our Co-op, to become what we are today. Again, I pause to appreciate all the staff, both past and present, for adding your personal touch to our Co-op soul.

And as they say, last but not least, we have our member-owners! You are what makes us so unique. The Co-op exists to serve our community, and as owners, you have shaped this Co-op since the get-go. Because you are many, and tracking hasn’t always been exact, it’s safe to guestimate that since the Co-op’s beginnings in 1973, there have been over 30,000 households (you tell us how many individuals that is) who have been a part of our store and our story.

50 years of being a democratically controlled cooperative model. 50 years of stability. 50 years of dependability. 50 years of being here for you.

For those of you who have been in Skagit Valley for several years, you can recall the ever-changing landscape of grocery stores in the area. There are probably many stores you have forgotten about but are no longer here: Thrifty’s, Food Pavilion, Albertsons. The opening and closing and changing of ownership of grocery stores is the norm. We are witnessing another change right now with the merger of Kroger and Albertsons, and it will not be the last.

But not for our Co-op! Nope, we have been here for 50 years and we will continue onward. We can celebrate 50 years of committing to local growers, farmers, and businesses. 50 years supporting organic and natural foods. 50 years of making great tasting food, right here in Downtown Mount Vernon. 50 years of being an amazing employer. 50 years of serving our community. 50 years of consumer ownership and democratically controlled governance. 50 years of being flat-out amazing!

So, thank you Skagit Valley Food Co-op for becoming my new home.