Dear member-owners and patrons –
We continue to monitor guidance from national, county, and local authorities, including Governor Hogan’s announcement today, on the COVID-19 crisis. It is clear that the Co-op must find a sustainable way to continue to serve the community while taking maximum health precautions for our staff and shoppers. With that in mind, we have decided to temporarily close the store to the public and move our sales to an online order and pick up only system. This will be a completely new endeavor for us and will require a major pivot as a business. As such, beginning Tuesday, March 24 the store will be closed for a few days. During this time, our dedicated staff will receive a much-needed rest and the management team will work to transition the store. We anticipate that we will launch the online store sometime over this weekend.
We know that our staff feels like family to many of you – and they are to us – so we want you to know that all our employees are healthy. We believe this preemptive shift is our best chance at ensuring our staff remain that way and that the store can operate during this time. We have made a commitment to staff that everyone will continue to receive their regular pay and additional time off as needed.
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and flexibility as we do our best to continue our store operations. Your outpouring of support has helped us stay focused on why we are here. We know that the Co-op is an integral part of the Takoma Park community and are looking forward to continuing to serve you all, even if in a very new way while we all brace for and adapt to life during this crisis.
We realize many of you have stocked up and that other grocery stores remain open. However, if you have emergency food needs in the next few days, we will be offering very limited options for grocery ordering and pick up during this transitional time. You can see the details here.
Mike Houston
General Manager