Our sibling co-op, Plainfield Co-op, recently expanded its offerings to include hardware and a greenhouse—a bold move that could offer valuable lessons for Hunger Mountain Co-op as we plan how we will evolve and thrive.

The sign at their new location on Route 2 in East Montpelier reads, “Plainfield Co-op Grocery Deli Hardware.” But General Manager Jeannine DeWald told me in a recent interview on WGDR, “It’s still called Plainfield Co-op. The sign is just to emphasize the expansion of the product line, while maintaining our roots.”

Gaye and Rich Christiansen, then-owners of Plainfield Hardware in Plainfield village, bought the old Legare Farm Market on Route 2 in 2006, constructed the log cabin building for the hardware store next to it, and moved to the site along the busy highway. The decision transformed their hardware business by adding groceries, a deli, and the greenhouse. Two decades later, the Christiansen’s were ready to retire and sell the business. As it happened, the members of Plainfield Co-op were ready to find a new location, to reverse the trend of declining revenues at their small store in Plainfield village.

Plainfield Co-op bought the Route 2 business last year and has since followed in the footsteps of the Christiansen’s. The larger space allows them to offer more food options, including organic choices, alongside essential hardware items. The move was not just about relocating. It was about redefining the co-op’s role in the community. As DeWald explained, “It’s a rural one-stop shop.”

How did a business centered around groceries go about running a hardware store or a greenhouse? “Definitely, hardware operates differently,” DeWald acknowledged. Fortunately, the grocery folks had help. “We’ve maintained the hardware store staff. Michael Hoffman is the hardware and operations manager. Dave Ertel is the hardware buyer. They’ve both been with the organization for years at that location.”

As for the greenhouse business, DeWald commented, “Gaye and Rich Christiansen did a really great job in the greenhouse, and we can lean in on what worked really well for them: use trusted vendors and focus on just having a great season this year.” They started greenhouse sales on Earth Day (April 22), with annual and perennial garden plants and flowers, vegetable starts, and houseplants, plus soil, fertilizers, fencing, hoses, and other gardening tools and supplies.

With about a thousand members owning shares, Plainfield Co-op’s success has been directly tied to local ownership. Each share costs $180, payable in installments of as little as $20 annually. “That’s what capitalizes long-term projects,” DeWald said. “That ensures that the hardware and general store can remain in that location. Community investment in businesses is one of the resilience tools we can use to ensure that we’re not all driving to box stores or buying things online. And that in itself is a benefit.”

Hunger Mountain Co-op and Plainfield Co-op trace our history back to common roots in a buying group from the 1960s and then the newly formed Plainfield Co-op’s purchase of the Grange building in Plainfield village in 1972. Six years later, when the young co-op relocated to Montpelier and rebranded as “Hunger Mountain Co-op,” some members from Plainfield still wanted a co-op in their town. Consequently, they launched another co-op in the same building, reclaiming the name “Plainfield Co-op.”

The decision to move from the historic and beloved yet limiting location in a walkable village was not easy for Plainfield Co-op. “This has been a long process,” DeWald told the radio listeners. “I just really value all of you sticking it through with us. And thank you, everyone, for coming in and showing up this spring. It’s been really encouraging. It’s been really fun for us.”

With a food co-op founded in the 1960s now running a hardware store that traces its roots to back before the Civil War, the Plainfield Co-op aims to be a cornerstone of local commerce for years to come.

Envisioning Our Future

Because we are about to begin envisioning the future of Hunger Mountain Co-op, exploring how other co-ops have adapted, grown, and diversified is invaluable. As DeWald told me, “Redefining what we do and how we can best serve our communities is how co-ops survive and thrive.” Our mission statement goes beyond food and groceries; we’re broadly committed to creating and sustaining “thriving cooperative commerce.”

Other columns in this series about the range of business models for co-ops:

Willy Street Co-op in Madison, Wisconsin expands to three stores (and more!)

A network of co-ops dominates the local economy in the Mondragon region of Spain

Look for an upcoming column on a food co-op in our region that also sells Exxon-Mobil gasoline and fixes cars, and for more information on the visioning process.

Co-op Connects on Sunday, June 1, Sunday, noon – 1 pm with the General Manager (GM) and one or two Council Members

The Co-op Connects series continued in April. GM Mary Mullally and I enjoyed chatting with members and giving away seedlings at the Earth Day celebration at the co-op on Saturday, April 19. We were glad to meet the next generation of gardeners, young kids delighted at being able to take home a pansy in bloom, a basil plant, or kale (to Eat More of). From adults, we heard interest in diversifying the business, in the Mondragon model, and in the empty lot next door. And they liked the seedlings, too!

The next Co-op Connects, with Mary and me—and probably another Council member—will be Sunday, June 1, from noon to 1 pm. Please stop by to talk about the future of the Co-op or whatever else is on your mind.

The Wrap

While technology like Zoom has allowed us to cut down travel time and emissions and brings other benefits, it can be frustrating at times. A council committee meeting with most people planning to attend remotely was recently cancelled when Zoom’s network went down and no one could join the meeting. Computers—they’re perfectly reliable, until you turn them on.

—Carl Etnier, Council President

Do you have any questions or comments about the council? Do you know any jokes even faintly related to food and/or co-ops? Please email them to me!