Events and Community: Media

Media

Press Releases:

• Fidelity Bank Approves Loan to Build Co-op Once Investment Goal is Reached - April 8, 2010
• Renovations begin at the Company Shops Market grocery co-op building! - March 15, 2010
• Company Shops Market Among 10 New Food Co-ops To Receive Grants for Staff & Board Training  - April 18, 2008
• Company Shops Market Kick-off a Huge Success, Next Event Planned - October 1, 2007
• The Company Shops Market Board of Directors hire Melissa Frey as Project Manager - July 26, 2007

Print (Newspaper/Magazines):

• Company Shops co-op gets major boost from state grant - "The planned Company Shops Market cooperative will receive nearly $300,000 as part of a state revitalization fund, Gov. Beverly Perdue’s office said on Tuesday." Burlington Times News  - May 25, 2010
• Burlington wins downtown improvement grant - "Burlington is among eight recipients around the state of Main Street Solutions Fund grants, Gov. Bev Perdue announced Tuesday. The grants will assist planning agencies and small businesses to improve infrastructure, rehabilitate buildings and find other growth opportunities." The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area  - May 25, 2010
• Cooperative market planned for Burlington gets grant - "A planned cooperative grocery in Burlington will receive a $298,460 Main Street Solutions Fund grant from the state. The money will help the city and Company Shops Market retrofit the market’s future location at 268 E. Front St, in downtown Burlington, according to a news release." Greensboro News & Record - May 25, 2010
• May Daze, May praise - "May Daze brought plenty of people and smiles to a number of downtown Burlington merchants Saturday.... Sharon Dent, of the Company Shops Market, said she saw more people in downtown on a Saturday morning than she’d seen in a long time.... Dent says the opening of the food co-op, which is tentatively scheduled to open this December, will be a big boost to downtown. "It will bring a whole new attitude about downtown," she said. "I think it will entice other people to come down and open up just different little shops and funky boutiques and all that to go along with the vibe of the market." The Burlington Times News - May 2, 2010
• Food from nearby: Students and community members tour local sustainable farms - "April 25, students, faculty and community members boarded a BioBus for the 15th annual Piedmont Farm Tour. The tour, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Association, is made up of only sustainable farms and is the largest one if its kind in the country. Elon's Center for Environmental Studies and Company Shops Market, a co-op and locally grown grocery store opening in downtown Burlington, cosponsored one of the BioBuses for the tour...." The Pendulum - Elon University's Student Newspaper - April 27, 2010
• Downtown co-op gets loan, hopes for $300K state grant - "Another step closer to a 2010 opening, the Company Shops Market will use a $1.1-million loan from Fidelity Bank towards construction of the store at 268 E. Front St. The loan is guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Before the cooperative grocery gets the loan, its members must raise a minimum of $800,000. The 1,608 members have raised $500,000 so far and need another $300,000 before the loan kicks in. Members hope at least some of that $300,000 will appear in the form of a grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce." The Burlington Times News - April 14, 2010
• Green thumbs, green farms: Sustainable farming takes root in Alamance County - "Eric Henry, who’s helping start the Company Shops Market — a cooperative grocery in downtown Burlington that would sell local produce and meat — says sustainable farming is "agriculture that is profitable while respecting the environment and the people involved in it. "It is not solely based in making a living if you are not accountable to the people and the planet, we already got that … it is called industrial agriculture. Most models also have a local focus too, since you need to grow and eat your food in a small transportation (carbon) footprint."But, because so many farms have gone under as land became more profitable as housing developments than farms, some define "sustainable" as just being able to survive." The Burlington Times News - April 14, 2010
• Downtown co-op grocery should open by end of the year - "Downtown Burlington’s cooperative grocery store is inching ever closer to its opening day, organizers say. The doors of Company Shops Market at 268 E. Front Street should be open by the end of this year. Starting Monday, the roof of the old A&P Grocery will be repaired. Other work to the building’s ceiling and interior will begin as soon as the co-op secures financing." The Burlington Times News - March 14, 2010
• Economist gives advice to co-op - "A nationally known economist said that a proposed grocery co-op set to locate in downtown Burlington could be an attraction the area has sought for nearly three decades. Michael Shuman, author of “The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition” stopped by the Company Shops Market site during a tour of Alamance County on Friday....." The Burlington Times News - November 2, 2009
• 169 Members in One Day! Company Shops Co-op in Burlington, NC - "When we announced that our location would be in downtown Burlington and tied in with the revitalization efforts, nearly all of the crowd stood up and applauded. We knew we had done something right and our faith was renewed." Food Co-op 500 Newsletter - Summer 2009
• Co-op grocery hopes open house triggers more support - "Supporters of the Company Shops Market cooperatively owned grocery store were in downtown Burlington on Saturday morning, getting the market's future home ready for an open house. Twenty-five to 30 people showed up with brooms, mops and cleaning supplies to spruce up the former A&P grocery store building at 268 E. Front St. More recently, the building housed Yesterday's Office...." The Burlington Times News - March 28, 2009
• Company Shops Co-op makes economic sense these days - "As I scratch my head in an effort to figure out the AIG bonuses and wonder how the economic stimulus is going to impact my life and business, I can't help but think about what makes real economic sense to me.
    Over the last 20 years, we have run an economy based upon who can supply the lowest price, not considering social and environmental impact. Our race to the bottom is finally coming to a head, our economy and unemployment the worst since the Great Depression.
    What part can we play in the solution? A reconnection to our local community and the food and other products it can supply is the first step. I am proud and excited to be a part of a group bringing Company Shops Market Co-op to downtown Burlington...." The Burlington Times News - March 23, 2009
• Homegrown - How are the local cooperative markets surviving? - "Co-op markets have been gaining popularity for decades, with long-standing nearby grocers like Deep Roots in Greensboro and Weaver Street Market in Carrboro. The movement lately has picked up more steam for its emphasis on fuel economy, food security and the popularity of organic food trends." "An 8,000- to 11,000-square-foot store, the Company Shops Market, is planned for Burlington by late 2009. That store will be a close cousin of Weaver Street Market and Chatham Marketplace, complete with a deli-bakery, cafe, salad bar, and to-go food, says Project Manager Melissa Frey, who guided Chatham Marketplace through its first years." The Burlington Times News - May 24, 2008
• Co-op grocery taking shape in Alamance - The Greensboro News Record - Apr 28, 2008
• Take Company Shops co-op's survey - A local and organic produce market needs your input before it can open its doors.
  The Company Shops Market is asking all those interested in starting a cooperative grocery store in the Burlington area to fill out an online survey at its Web site. - The Burlington Times News - Nov. 27, 2007
• Grocery co-op plans meeting, potluck - An article about the Second Community Meeting at Moore Farm in Gibsonville, November 11, 2007. The Burlington Times News - Nov. 7, 2007
• Get cooperative: About the Company Shops Market potluck - The Burlington Times News - Sept 20, 2007
• Effort to launch cooperative food market begins Sunday - The Burlington Times News - Sept 20, 2007
• Are You Ready To "Go Local" - by Sam Moore  - Alamance Magazine
• Harvest time: Farmers eye cooperative grocery - The Burlington Times-News of Alamance County - August 01, 2007

Radio

• Food As A National Security Issue - Food guru Michael Pollan discusses US food/farm safety - NPR's Fresh Air, October 20, 2008. Food guru Michael Pollan was interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air. He talked about his recent open letter in the NY Times to the next President on what should be done about food/farm policy in the U.S. The link below takes you to the 40 min. interview and his letter. - Oct 20, 2008
• Home Power Hour with Melissa Frey and Solar Jim and Sustainable Jack on WCOM 103.5FM, Community Radio, Carrboro, NC - Jan 02, 2008
• Re-Imagining The Ranch - Charles Syndor - NPR's The Story, June 28, 2007. Company Shops Market member Charles Syndor discusses the movement for local, sustainable, grass-fed beef from his farm in Snow Camp, NC.

TV/Video

• News 14 Carolina: Cities receive grant to revitalize downtown businesses "BURLINGTON, N.C. - Those who live in Burlington quite often travel out of town for their shopping needs, but pretty soon that's going to change thanks to an upcoming and innovative downtown business. "This project will help us see things flow and expand into the rest of downtown," said Burlington Downtown Corporation Director Anne Morris. Gov. Bev Perdue announced the city is one of just a few in the state to receive a Main Street Solutions Grant to help revitalize downtown business. "I really do I believe this little investment in our tax dollars in something that's already happening here in Burlington," said Perdue. "It is a really important spark to rekindle the partnership between the state and this community." - May 27, 2010
• Fox8 News: Co-op Market Scheduled to Open in Burlington "BURLINGTON, N.C. - A group of investors and families have their sights set on turning the old A&P grocery story on East Front St. into a cooperative market.
    The Company Shops Market Co-op recently announced plans to purchase the building at 268 East Front St. and has kicked off a campaign to raise $2 million to convert the building into a modern grocery store and ready it for opening.
    "We are standing in what used to be the A&P grocery store, and I remember when I was 5 or 6 coming here and buying groceries," said Eric Henry, one of the people working to get the co-op up and running.
    A cooperative, also known as a co-op, is a business that is jointly owned by its customers and employees, and Company Shops Market said it already has over 750 family and individual owners. Two thousands owners are needed before the store's opening, which is slated for the fall of 2009.
    "This is a store that is owned by the community, run by the community, the money stays in the community and supported by the community," explained Henry.
    An architectural drawing of the storefront shows people sitting at sidewalk tables outside the brick-façade store.
    Shares of the store can be purchased for $100 (individuals) or $150 (families).
    Farmers like Same Moore can't wait for a local market to open. For one, it will make getting his goods to market easier.
    "You have to get up at the crack of dawn and wash everything and drive it over. Here, there will be less driving for sure," he said.
• WFMY News 2: Alamance County Farmers Plan A Co-op "Alamance County, NC -- Farmers are teaming up to help their individual farms make money. Growers and consumers in Alamance County plan to open Company Shops Market.  Local farmers can choose to be part-owners in the Co-op. They plan to sell produce, meats and other products in the full-service grocery store. "They know they are contributing to their local economy, they're supporting their local agriculture and they're doing a good turn for themselves," said Eliza MacLean, owner of Cane Creek Farm. It could be more than a year before the store opens. The market is modeled after ones in Pittsboro and Carrboro. - Sept 25, 2007

Internet / Web Media

• Treehugger.com: Can Community Co-ops Revive Our Towns?
  "Hometown Security through Local Co-ops: The current climate might not seem like the best time to open a grocery store. A group of residents in Burlington, NC - a town that has seen its fair share of unemployment and company closures over the years - would beg to disagree. They argue that this is exactly the time to support local, sustainable businesses that can breathe life back into America's towns and cities. That's the inspiration behind Company Shops Market - a locally owned co-operative that is setting out to refurbish an old grocery store built in 1949, offering local, sustainable food from the area's farmers. But can community co-ops offer a more sustainable solution to economic development?  - April 3, 2009

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