We’ve just been informed that the City of Takoma Park is closing the Community Center early on Saturday due to impending weather. We have to shift the time of the event to 11am-3pm. We’re very sorry for this last minute change, it was out of our control. We’re still looking forward to a great event to discuss the importance of cooperatives and get your input on our Second Store Expansion project. We will begin at 11am upstairs in the Azalea room now, so the program will be:
Event Agenda: All sessions will take place in the Takoma Park Community Center
11:00am-12:30pm– Presentation: The Food Co-op Future (Takoma Park Community Center – Auditorium)
- Jon Steinman will talk about the role of food co-ops in the grocery industry
12:30 – 1:00– Meal & Community Building (Takoma Park Community Center – Azalea Room)
- Enjoy catered lunch from Olive Lounge and snacks from the Co-op
1:00-3:00– Facilitated Discussion: Shaping Our Second Store (Takoma Park Community Center – Azalea Room)
- TPSS member-owners and shoppers will discuss what they want from a second location of our co-op.
Please attend any portion of the event that you are able, Jon is a wonderful presenter and we’re so lucky to have him here all the way from British Columbia. If you know anyone who was planning to attend or anyone who may now be able to make the new time, help us get the word out before Saturday.
We’re looking for your input on the new store in advance of the event. To share your thoughts, please complete this webform.
REGISTER HERE
THE FOOD CO-OP FUTURE with Jon Steinman
What’s next for food co-ops—and how can we shape it together?
From supply chain disruptions and food inflation to growing corporate consolidation, the grocery landscape is changing fast—and grocery stores are on center stage. Food co-ops are uniquely positioned to step into the spotlight.
In this inspiring and visually rich presentation, author and food systems expert Jon Steinman explores how food co-ops across the country are adapting, expanding, and redefining what a community-owned grocery store can be.
Drawing from his publication This Could Be Ours: A Photo Album to Inspire Your Food Co-op Dream, Jon shares stories and images of co-ops that have launched new stores, cafés, kitchens, and community spaces—and the member support that made it all possible.
Topics include:
- Key trends in grocery retail and threats co-ops face from competitors
- The renewed relevance of investing in democratic economic institutions like co-ops
- How co-ops nationwide are adapting, expanding, and innovating
- Why co-ops grow and adapt and what that growth enables them to achieve for their communities
Join us to see how our co-op fits into this broader movement, why growth matters, and how each of us can help shape the food co-op future.
SHAPING OUR SECOND STORE: A Cooperative Dialogue Workshop
Facilitated by Jon Steinman
Following The Food Co-op Future presentation, join us for an engaging, participatory workshop where members and board directors will come together to imagine what our second store could become.
Using Jon’s Cooperative Dialogue™ approach, we’ll explore ideas, share perspectives, and listen deeply to one another as we shape the next chapter of our co-op’s story. Through small- and large-group conversations, participants will generate ideas for our second store’s design and function, share what inspires them to shop co-op, and help spark messages that can energize our growing TPSS community.
This is your chance to take part in a creative, member-driven process that strengthens connections across our co-op and brings our shared vision for the future to life.
JON STEINMAN is the author of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants (New Society Publishers). Before narrowing his focus on grocery, Jon was the producer and host of the internationally-syndicated radio show and podcast Deconstructing Dinner, once ranked as the most-listened-to food podcast in Canada, and was writer and host of Deconstructing Dinner: Reconstructing our Food System – a television and web series. Jon is the founder of Cooperative Dialogue and an accredited practitioner through the Academy of Professional Dialogue. He lives in Nelson, British Columbia.
PHOTOS: https://app.box.com/s/qnvhqqg54abdj5tt1s2hthgnqpcf2qli