A Brooklyn Story: The Park Slope Food Co-op

For the month of July, GRITtv will be spotlighting cooperatives in all their myriad forms. This week, it's food!
The Park Slope Food Co-op (PSFC) was founded in 1973 by ten organizers who had dreams of purchasing quality food and working together to achieve that goal. In forty years, it has grown into a 16,000+ member community supermarket - to become one of the biggest food co-ops in the USA. PSFC general manager, Joe Holtz states, "We knew we were trying to start a cooperative, and we thought, well, cooperation means people working together and we felt like we were growing up into a society where there wasn't enough people working together."
The co-op is a more democratic food space than your conventional grocery. Members are required to commit their time and encouraged to raise their voices by working shifts and attending meetings. PSFC also has a revolving loan fund which aims to help other cooperatives get their start. A co-op cooperating to help other co-ops? As an extended service, the co-op provides childcare and payment options for those on income-based assistance. Hungry for more? Click play to watch the full interview.

[@pinarozge6895]

I was a member there for 6 years. I loved the COOP but I can't believe that they still have the two lines for the check-out system. It kills so much time. The first check-out person just calculates the money to be paid and then the 2nd check-out person does the cashier job. I don't know who invented this stupid system, but it seems that it is still used. Unbelievable.

[@clacicle]

I was a member for over 10 years until I moved away from NYC. I definitely miss the place. It wasn't perfect, but the quality of the food, prices, and the people were great.

[@mwells219]

Do white upper class New Yorkers really need a co-op? Why don't you build this in queens and help some locals who are probably going hungry because of gentrification rent hikes.

[@LauraFlandersAndFriends]

+mwells219 Hi! You may be interested in learning about the Bed Stuy Food co-op we covered: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWmpmnylf515Zq8

[@mwells219]

You just pointed me to one of the most gentrified areas of NYC. It's funny how these kind of stores pop up so the priveleged kids don't feel so bad about pricing the local community out of the neighborhood. Where were these nice upper class college kids back in the 90s when Bed Stuy was a ghetto and could have used a store like this?

[@grapiken7766]

+The Laura Flanders Show The rich are stingy with their money...

[@monkeyboydesign]

Why don't locals in queens build one of these and help themselves? These guys will even set them up with a startup loan.

[@grapiken7766]

monkeyboydesign​​ You need money to make money. A loan is a loan. If you have a stable, secure job, a mortgage and a family to feed are you going to risk it all for something that may fail? 

[@DoreenBellDotan]

Love this. Is this still in business in 2/21? Has it expanded?

[@hopedance777]

we would like to show this short film at an event where other short food coop films and trailers to entice people to join etc.. can you send us a streamed version of hi res so we can screen it via our video projector and sound system....

[@TM-bn8pv]

It's Propaganda!

[@sandymoonstone855]

🍎 📷 👌

[@DStyles2345]

What is a food co op?

[@davidwoo2590]

+DStyles2345 a Food Co-op is a Cooperative Enterprise where it is owned by the consumers or workers. Everyone pays in an equal equity investment that grants ownership power and responsibility to each and every member. They can vote for and bring up issues to be voted upon to guide the direction and policies of the entity formed to meet the social, cultural, and economic needs (along with possibly thousands of other owners). Go to ica.coop and learn more about the cooperative enterprise movement.

[@jeanspisak5110]

There are plenty of these co-ops in MN - almost every major city has 3+, and there are usually ones in smaller towns. They don't require you to work though (wish they did have that), but they are fabulous and I don't know what I'd do without it.

[@jamescc2010]

Wonderful. Love to learn how this food co-op model of operation. Does it get most labor from volunteers - thus big food saving passing on to members?

[@alexgarces4068]

Blonde lady looks like Adam Scott.

[@RunawayTrane]

I hope they don't have any Koch Brothers products

[@bopjam9478]

And the spoof. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5vKlmB-pN-Khtk

[@snarlbarx7536]

This is fantastic.

[@aaabbbccc485]

I heard about it on TV5 Monde. I think that is excellent and I wish that they do it here in Broward Fl. I would become a member right away.

[@LauraFlandersAndFriends]

+Liliane Calmant Definitely look into it, Liliane! There may be people working to get together a worker-owned coop right now in your area!

[@MGarciareporting]

So I have to volunteer my services to join as a member?? Wow, this will not work with my schedule. I love "queens food emporium". They sell organic produce too and you don't have to volunteer your services.

[@robinhoodstfrancis]

Melo Last That's great, as far as it goes. However, it sounds like you don't appreciate the value of participation and co-ownership. If someone can't fit it in their schedule, that's great. However, co-participation is part of making a real democratic economy, the lack of which is much of the problem in modern economies. It's a nice feeling, it's fun, and it's a social movement to reclaim a society out of control and unsustainable.

[@MGarciareporting]

At the end of the day all I want is access to fresh organic fruits and veggies and Queens Food Emporium provides that. I just want to go to the store and purchase these things without participating/volunterring. It sounds nice and all but this is not going to work with my schedule, that's all I'm saying.

[@davidwoo2590]

+Melo Last Park Slope is on one end of a continuum of how Cooperative Enterprise works. Take a look at Flatbush Food Co-op on the other side of Prospect Park. It would look like any mom and pop grocery, but it's owned by its shoppers and unlike Park Slope anyone may shop there without having to join as an owner/member. Those members get to vote for the governing board (or run themselves) and share in any profits equally at the end of the fiscal year. So, being a member has benefits, one of which is knowing that you are a job creator and cooperative enterprise owner.

[@TFrills]

+Melo Last I also wouldn't want to participate, but not because I don't have time, but because I am extremely depressed, have low self-esteem and hate being in public. I avoid going anywhere and if I had to hang around in crowds for too long I would go nuts. I would end up coming to shifts drunk as fuck and then you would have to let me stop.

[@MGarciareporting]

You're depressed and have no self-esteem because you never gave your body what it wanted. Our body runs on minerals. Give it fruits and veggies! Look into raw foods and depression. Hope it helps. Don't give up on yourself. I had a chronic skin disease and depression too. There are answers for you. Just do research! Good luck!

[@TheMagnoliabeans]

for the love of Brooklyn I know I'm going to join

[@chrissysb88]

I've been 2 times as a guest now I'm excited to join.

[@suffolkhammer2278]

I love these types of places however the food is usually way more expensive than in regular supermarkets..

[@timmahoney9720]

Suffolk Hammer less expensive than regular supermarket in fact