by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Goodbye February, Hello March!
March is the first month of SPRING! The first official day of spring is Tuesday, March 19 for those folks that live in the Northern Hemisphere. This date is also known as the Vernal Equinox. The day that is halfway between the day with the least and most amount of daylight.
March marks the end of the third quarter of our fiscal year. We count inventory at the end of the month, start budget planning for next fiscal year (which begins the Monday nearest June 30), and begin to wrap up the current year’s special projects.
A few projects still on the horizon to address before the end of the fiscal year include an upgrade to the website, the replacement of the receiving ramp at Willy North, and the installation of solar panels on Willy West’s rooftop.
Aubergine/1226 Williamson Street
We’ve officially opened our sixth site, Aubergine. We have planned an opening reception on March 8th with artist (and musician) Roscoe Mitchell. Stop into between 4-7pm to take in our new space, the artwork, and music.
Aubergine, located across the street from Willy East, will replace the same uses (and then some) of the community room space we had (but outgrew) at Willy East. We have a training and commercial kitchen, event and meeting space for Co-op and community use, and gallery space for artwork.
Aubergine events can be found on our website at willystreet.coop/events. If you’re interested in renting the space for a party, meeting, film screening, or for commercial kitchen use, you can find rental information at willystreet.coop/aubergine.
Here’s a fun fact: in 1999, the Co-op purchased 1221 Williamson St. (our East location) from the Fraternal Order of Eagles #623. Some of you may remember the Eagles Club facility had a bar, dining area, dance floor, and a bowling alley. The Eagles Club sold off sections of the bowling alley for $10 a foot. We bought an 8’ section and stashed it away with the thought that someday the ideal use would come along. An ideal use finally presented itself. We asked Bachmann Construction to build the reception desk for Aubergine from a section of the original Eagle’s bowling alley.
Willy West Meat Room Repairs
The repairs in the Willy West’s Meat department room are about mid way through with the remaining work to happen early this month. Almost all products are still available, although some have temporarily moved; you can ask the staff member at the Seafood case if you have any questions. We thank you for your continued patience as we complete this necessary maintenance work.
Union Contract Negotiations
As I mentioned last month, we started bargaining our third contract with the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), which will continue into the first half of this month. Stay tuned for updates in April when we can report news of our new contract.
Cooperative Principle #8
For years you’ve heard me talk about the Seven Cooperative Principles, well we’re adding a new one to make it Eight!
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) endorses seven cooperative principles, and they are considering the adoption of another to add diversity, equity, and inclusion to the original social, political, and economic concerns. We have chosen to adopt it. We do this to formally recognize the work we have done thus far to change the culture at the Co-op to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization to work and shop.
Cooperative Principle #8: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Cooperatives strive to incorporate diversity, perform equitably and ensure inclusion at all levels of their organizations to better serve members, show members they are valued and ensure members receive equitable service.
You can read more about Cooperative Principle #8 in this issue in the Board report, as well as Kristina Kuhaupt’s report. (Kristina is our Customer Experience Manager.) You can learn more about our operational DEI initiatives at willystreet.coop/DEI.
Women’s History Month
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, which designated March as “Women’s History Month.” We’re using the occasion to highlight our local women-owned Inclusive Trade vendors—see page 12 for the list. For a list of all women-owned Inclusive Trade vendors and to learn more about our Inclusive Trade program, see willystreet.coop/inclusive-trade.
FY23 Patronage
We have distributed patronage to 76.7% of the total number of Owners who were qualified to receive it, which means we have 23.3% to go. If you have not yet claimed yours, you have until June 16, 2024 to do so. You can use it as a store credit (on purchases), receive cash back, or donate to Double Dollars.