Chicago Market Newsletter - September 2021
Capital Campaign Launches Soon
SAVE THE DATE: RSVP now for the Annual Meeting! Be the first to hear about this exciting opportunity for Owners to further invest in your Co-op. Together, we’ll build a better market.
A ‘better market’...? Better than what?
Corporate grocery stores may be the current default, but there’s a better model — one that the community builds to fulfill unmet needs. Corporate grocery stores exist to earn profits for shareholders; Chicago Market, as a cooperative, prioritizes sustainability, transparency, and economic impact for us.
Our prioritization of local — whether that’s food grown nearby, products crafted across town, or employees that live down the street — will create major impacts on lives and businesses. Chicago Market won’t just sell their food, we’ll tell their story. And every person who invests to ‘build a better market’ will become part of stories like these:
- How a micro business was able to hire their first employees.
- How a small producer could scale up their operations and pay their staff a living wage.
- How joining the staff of the Co-op meant a well-paying job which led to financial self-sufficiency.
- How a community member could access food they thought unattainable.
These powerful impacts ripple out into our community in exponential ways. And they’re what investors and donors will create by funding our Co-op and showing Chicago what ‘a better market’ truly looks like.
Owners: Watch your mailbox for a yellow envelope with more investment information, coming your way soon!
Meet Your Board Candidates
Four of your fellow Owners are stepping up as candidates for the Board. They'll be a crucial part of guiding the Co-op through our next phase of development and you can read statements from Chris Burns (photo and statement coming soon), Leslie Jenkins, Grant Kessler, and John Law here to prepare yourself for voting.
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Voting begins after the Annual Meeting on September 23, and will be open online for a week so that all our Owners have time to vote.
RAFFLE
We're still giving away $25 every week to shoppers at the Uptown Farmers Market. Stop by the Chicago Market table to register and the next one could be you! And in late October we'll draw from all entries for $100 in Chicago Market Bucks.
It's YOUR farmers market - come out and enjoy it, support the local food vendors and get entered to win.
Every Wednesday, 2:30 - 7:00pm at our future store.
In the News
- Two Food Co-ops Seek Funding - Local Food Forum featured us and our friends at Prairie Food Co-op.
Upcoming Events
- Uptown Farmers Market - 2:30 - 7:00pm, every Wednesday
- Lakeview Happy Hour - 5:30 - 7:00pm, Uncommon Ground, Sept 16
- Open House/SHOP - 11:00am - 3:00pm, Chicago Market, Sept 19
- Lincoln Square/Ravenswood Happy Hour - 5:30 - 7:00pm, Gideon Wells, Sept 21
- Annual Meeting - 7:00 - 8:30pm, Sept 23
Volunteer Opportunities
We are also recruiting for some specific positions on our website. They include some of the above and also some ongoing needs (you can never have enough people helping on social media/marketing, right)? We also just learned of a need for a graphic designer.
News from Our Business Owners
What is the Garden Party: Esteemed guests, sponsors, and the Gardeneers community will be immersed into one of Gardeneers oldest garden sites in the heart of the city surrounded by the Chicago skyline, while sipping on signature cocktails and snacking on select bites from local Chefs infused with food grown by the Gardeneers youth participants.
Two sessions on September 25. Get tickets here.
Fat Cat and My Buddy's
Fat Cat and My Buddy's are both a part of Uptown United's 5th Annual Taste of Uptown, September 29, an event that celebrates Uptown’s amazing cultural and culinary diversity. This restaurant crawl will feature small bites and samplings from Uptown eateries. Participants will receive a passport and stroll from restaurant to restaurant along the Broadway and Argyle business corridors, enjoying samples at various locations. Tickets.
Collective Resource Compost
Years ago when we were filling out a grant application, we were flummoxed by this question: Who are your competitors? We don’t feel that the other compost haulers are our competition. We all need to do this work! Join a composting program that will work best for you. Read more about Collective Resource Compost and Block Bins in this recent blogpost by Happy Sprout, Kristin Washagan.
Build a Better Market
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We own this business together. We operate it. And together, we fund it.
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