More than 100 citizens attended a meeting to decide the fate of the Mifflin Street Community Grocery Cooperative, 32 N. Bassett St., Wednesday night during a Co-Op committee meeting at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St.
The voters, many of whom were long-time customers of the Co-Op, decided to restructure the staffing of the Co-Op with volunteers to keep it in business.
According to committee member Anna Palmer, the vote was decided by a \vast majority.""
Board of Directors Treasurer Seth Nowak said the Co-Op has been losing money for almost eight years, adding sales are now at the lowest level they have been for years. He also said right now the Co-Op owes their suppliers $65,000.
""We need to figure out how to sell more natural foods to ourselves and to customers to pay off our suppliers, and we need to start now,"" he said.
Committee member Leigh Weaver proposed increasing the amount of Mifflin Co-Op member involvement. He said the Co-Op would have to rely on the community to increase volunteer time and resources to keep the store open.
The Co-Op began to face some serious problems last July, Weaver said.
""In the last year or two I have realized how much it really does take to run a grocery store. This store cannot run like a traditional grocery store, it just cannot ... it is a community Co-Op,"" she said.
Weaver said this proposal will allow Mifflin to remain in business and serve the community by providing nutritional food.
Palmer submitted the second proposal that involves selling the building, closing the store and ultimately paying off debts. Palmer said Don Keller of Keller Williams Real Estate appraised the building at $240,000 to $300,000.
According to Palmer, even after debts are paid off, Mifflin would still have between $85,000 and $143,000 to distribute at the decisions of the committee. She said although committee members said they do not want to see the Co-Op closed there are reasons to consider this option.
Palmer said the proposal will allow the Co-Op to pay off debts, and the longer Mifflin stays open the higher the debt becomes, adding it is important to save assets now before they just drizzle away.
