MAYNARD, MA — There’s a grocery store revolution coming to the MetroWest area.
This spring, Assabet Village Co-op Market is closing in on a plan to open the first cooperative grocery store in the area. It’s the culmination of a long process that began in 2013 when the co-op was founded.
Although coronavirus is complicating the picture, Assabet Village leaders has picked out a few possible locations in Maynard, and they are hoping to mount a campaign soon to build the store. An opening date before the end of 2020 is the target, according to the co-op.
Apart from selling locally-produced food — think eggs and produce from local farms — a grocery co-op a style of business that allows members of the public to buy shares of the store, giving them a say in business decisions. Assabet Village now has over 1,200 member-owners from around the region.
“Our aim is to serve the community and not enrich some far off shareholders,” said Lorne Bell, the co-op’s director of outreach.