MEDFORD
Southern Oregon’s newest grocery cooperative is taking
steps toward an early fall opening date. The Medford Market Cooperative signed a
lease for the Hubbard’s Brothers Building downtown and is
pushing ahead in its fundraising, which mainly consists of
selling $100 subscriptions to the cooperative, which will
convert to ownership shares once the store is open. The newly
elected board of directors plans to have 500 subscriptions sold
this month and 1,000 by Memorial Day. “People told us
they wanted a central location,” says Velda Welch, market
board president. The market is getting advice from the
neighboring Ashland Food Co-op, but will be an autonomous
store. Welch says the market, which will focus on locally
produced and organic goods along with a selection of
ready-to-eat foods for busy customers, will need to raise
between $1.6 million and $2 million to open its doors.
