The Co-op has received lots of great feedback since we opened our doors last year – shoppers have praised us for a well-designed store, our vibrant produce selection, and the abundance of locally made goods. One concern we hear quite frequently is that people feel the Co-op is too expensive. Over the past month, we compared our prices to other retailers in town and found, with few exceptions, Co-op prices are lower than those of our competitors.
As a worker-owner of the Co-op, I’m pretty familiar with our pricing, so outside shopping is a unique experience for me. Nearly every time I visit another store, I notice several items that the Co-op sells cheaper. These accounts make it difficult to for me to understand exactly why people think the Co-op is too expensive. After broaching the subject with members and close friends, it became clear that we were really talking about our perceptions, rather than actual numbers. While I could try to convince people that I didn’t think it was true, I had no proof; so I set out to get it.
Read More Comments OffArmadillo Chocolates
These small batch handcrafted delights are a Gainesville favorite and made from responsibly-sourced high-quality ingredients. This Valentine’s, Armadillo Chocolates is offering chocolate dipped strawberries at $14 a box.
Please add any gift instructions in the Notes Field during paypal checkout!! You will be emailed when your gift is ready for pick-up.
by Gretchen McIntyre
Co-op General Manager
There’s been a lot of buzz these days about the new grocery store, Trader Joe’s, coming to town. I wanted to offer a little food for thought on the subject. First, I celebrate the attraction of a major corporation like TJ’s to our growing Gainesville business community. It will most likely pull additional residents, traffic, and tourism through the Archer Road area, and into an abandoned strip mall space in Butler Plaza. Its arrival will offer another option for natural and organic foods in town and to the West side communities. Its definitely a sign of our progressive Gainesville spirit at work.
At the Co-op, with our very business rooted in nurturing the relationship between people and the food we eat, I have a few concerns over the hype. Trader Joe’s is generally regarded as a green business, and has successfully branded themselves as the affordable alternative to other values-based food stores. But it seems to be more realistic to say that they sell food for a little less money with a lot less value and care. (Reference this article in the alternative press.)
Read More Comments OffThe worker-owner elves have been hard at work creating uniquely amazing local gifts for everyone on your holiday list…
BUY NOW. SWING BY LATER. SHARE SOME LOVE.
“Our Co-op is a community woven together by the interlacing ribbons of exchange. In a truly cooperative effort, we continuously thread the laces back and forth, from hand to hand, giving and receiving. We are all strengthened and enriched by this practice as it creates an ever-evolving, interwoven web, tied by our service to, and gratitude, for each other.”
- Co-op Co-founder Liz Nesbit
$100 Gift Memberships
>>> 
Packaged with Care in a Box with a Bow
“A Taste of Gville” Holiday Gift Basket
A sampler of Gainesville’s best locally made goods and treats. Baskets will feature an assortment of local items from Sweetwater Coffee, Ziebko Honey, Armadillo Chocolates, Gville Sweets, Sister’s, Thrive, Moksa Organics, Cigar City, Satchel’s Pizza, Micanopy Gold, and more. Each basket will be unique and created around a price point that best suits your gifting needs. If you have any specific requests for products, please indicate them in the notes field at checkout.
ALL SOLD OUT ~ THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE GVILLE!
Other Great Last Minute Holiday Gifts in the store —- from $4 to $65: Coffee Bag Wallets, Hand Crafted Beeswax Candles, Green Cleaning Gift Bucket, Stainless Steel Tiffins and To-Go Ware.
Shopping Cart
Please add any gift instructions in the Notes Field during paypal checkout!! You will be emailed when your gift is ready for pick-up.
Dropping Prices… Just for You!
In the spirit of giving this time of year, we’re passing along new vendor discounts with you on these great items in the store:
OV Buttermilk OV Egg Nog Instant Oatmeal Pamela’s Cake Mix
Now $3.99! Now $4.69! Now $3.99! Now $6.49!
(-$.50) (-$1.00) (-$.40) (-$.30)
Blue Diamond Nut Thins –> Now $2.99!
(-$.50)
Lentil Chips –> Now $3.99!
(-$.30)
