It’s a new year, and we have a new updates on the opening of the market!! The managers are currently toiling away in the living room of General Manager Leila Wolfum’s house until they can move into the freshly painted store. The construction team is also working tirelessly to turn the big mud pit in front of the store into a real parking lot. If there are no torrential downpours or crazy ice storms, the Durham Co-op Market will open… (drum roll, please) February 18th!
 
 
Mark your calendars, but also keep your fingers crossed since that opening date is weather-dependent. We are completing our product selection, focusing on NC’s dynamic local selection, while also creating aisle signs, meeting vendors, hiring staff, and touring other co-ops in the meantime. We’re excited, and we appreciate your ongoing support. Keep checking our website and facebook page for updates, and hope for clear skies in January!

Durham Co-op Market is a community-owned store. Our focus is on serving our community of owners, shoppers and employees. We are dedicated to the creation of a strong, safe, and supportive work environment based on mutual respect, high ethical standards, sound management, and a dedication to excellence. Employees are expected to demonstrate the concepts of cooperation, excellent customer service, creative input, and a positive willingness to get the job done. 
 
Click here to download an application form.
 
Open Positions:
Produce Clerk
Grocery Clerk
Cashier
Deli Counter Clerk
Kitchen Clerk
 
If you are interested in applying for any of these positions, please fill out an application and submit it by email or mail it to Durham Co-op Market, po box 25216, Durham, NC 27702. 
 
Cooperative Values:
Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative owners believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
 
Co-op Principles

1. Voluntary and Open Ownership; Open to all without gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination.
2. Democratic Control; One owner, one vote.
3. Owner Economic Participation; Owners contribute equitably to and democratically control the capital of the cooperative. The economic benefits of a cooperative operation are returned to the owners, reinvested in the co-op, and/or used to provide owner services and supporting other activities approved by the ownership.
4. Autonomy and Independence; Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their owners.
5. Education, Training, and Information; Cooperatives provide education and training for owners so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives; Cooperatives serve their owners most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, regional, national and international structures.
7. Concern for the Community; While focusing on owner needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their owners.

 
Respect for All People
Respect for all people is one of Durham Co-op Market core values. The Cooperative is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect, free of harassment and discrimination for our team members, customers and vendors. All staff owners are expected to treat fellow employees, customers and vendors with courtesy and to resolve any differences in a professional, non-abusive, non-inflammatory and non-threatening manner. All staff members are responsible for their own behavior and for understanding how their actions affect everyone in the workplace.
 
Ethics Policy
Durham Co-op Market believes that good character is the greatest asset in any business. Durham Co-op Market chooses to conduct its business in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. We strive to be honest in our public statements, advertising, and publicity and to avoid misrepresentation in our business dealings. We vow to be courteous and considerate to those with whom we have dealings and to refrain from unfair practices and to keep all personal information confidential.
 

Once we open the store, it will be professionally staffed, led by our General Manager, Leila Wolfrum. Still, there are lots of ways for our community to participate to build the store and to connect with our members. The following is a message from our Volunteer Coordinator, Sue Andresen, about the best ways to get involved: 

 
Hello Durham Co-op Market potential volunteers!
 
These are exciting days for DCM, with the building going up and the general manager, Leila Wolfrum, on board!
 
In talking with Leila, some new volunteer opportunities came up.  If you are willing to assist with any of these, please let us know.
 
We are currently looking for help with:

1. Assembling, testing, and costing out RECIPES using grocery items in our Healthy Basics food program.  This is a program that will make healthy staples available at great everyday prices.  If you are interested in submitting recipes, learning how to cost them out, etc.  contact Leila.
2. WRITING short pieces on appropriate topics, e.g. products, practices, etc. for the store's website.  These can be purely fact-based or more creative and personal.  Contact Leila if you are interested in knowing more.
3. We need someone with a love for wood-working who has tools and space to work on our cafe table-tops. It is nothing too fancy, but will require some care. Contact Leila if you can assist with this.
4. The table at the Durham Farmers Market has had amazing success recruiting new owners for DCM, and will continue for another 8 sessions.  Please consider taking a shift at the market with experienced, enthusiastic fellow volunteers. Contact me if you are interested in helping with this.

Thanks in advance,
Sue

Construction is coming along! The building is taking shape; the roof is on; and things are looking great! 
 
Take a ride by the site to see the progress. Things are going to start changing fast.
 
Based on our current construction estimates, we are looking at opening sometime in January. The dream is fast becoming a reality!
 
As we make refine the plans for the inside of the market, please feel free to contact us with ideas, questions, and feedback. This is your market! (If you are not an owner yet, now is a great time to join. Click here to sign up.)
 

Help us get the word out about the benefits of supporting your community market! With opening just a few months away, now is the time to call your friends, knock on your neighbors' doors, and sign up some new owners for the co-op. The more owners we have, the stronger our market will be, and that is good for everyone--We are Stronger Together! 
 
To help this effort along, we have started an Owner Drive! We want 2000 owners before the Grand Opening! The DCM owners who sign up the most new owners between now and the grand opening will win FABULOUS PRIZES! So get out there and talk us up, just make sure they put your name on the "Referred By" line. 
 
(If you are not an owner yet, click here to join!)
 
PRIZES:

Thank you all for the warm welcome I have received so far. I am excited to be here, and I already have much to report.
 
As many of you know, this co-op market was originally named with a location in the Durham Central Park district in mind. As we move into our actual location, on West Chapel Hill Street, conveniently located near to downtown, both Duke campuses, and many residential neighborhoods, we have changed the name of the market to avoid confusion, and to emphasize our cooperative structure. From now on, Durham Central Market will be known as Durham Co-op Market.
 
With the help of Durham-based graphic designer Darwin Campa, we updated our logo. This clean, straightforward design highlights our connection to the National Cooperative Grocers Association, of which we recently became a proud member. This organization links us with about 150 other food co-ops nationwide, including Weaver Street Market, Company Shops Market in Burlington, and Deep Roots Market in Greensboro. Once the store opens, you will see the green "co+" on everything from our coffee cups to our grocery bags to our bi-monthly sales flyer.
 
I was thrilled to see a great turn out at our Pompieri Pizza event on June 3rd. I was delighted to get to meet owners and supporters of the co-op, and to see them enjoying themselves together. We plan to host several similar events in the coming months. So keep you eye on Facebook and on this page for details. One question people kept asking: when will the store open? While I cannot offer a firm date, as construction is a complicated business, I will do my best to keep you all up to speed on our progress. Right now, it is looking like the store will open sometime just after the new year.
 
Many have also asked about potential employment opportunities at the store. I will be consumed with the work of planning and building the physical space for the next few months. I plan to start hiring a couple months before we open, possibly as soon as November. In the meantime, please send potential candidates my way. I count on our whole community to connect me with talented, hard-working people who want to put some energy into getting this exciting institution off the ground. We will have something like 20-30 positions to fill with a wide range of required levels of skill and experience.
 
Looking forward to adventures ahead,
Leila Wolfrum
General Manager