BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Its brick-and-mortar store opening pushed to summer, Bethlehem Co-op Market wants the public to know it's open for online shopping with curbside pickup.
It’s also open to requests.
“We always planned to have online shopping, but when our opening was delayed, we decided to bring in some of the December holiday order, which gets ordered in July," Co-op General Manager Eric Shamis said.
"To keep the community engaged, offer some great deals and refine our inventory process.”
The co-op is part of a bigger co-op, the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association, or INFRA — a group of small co-ops and retailers that together create for themselves just what a co-op wants: buying power.
"We want to know what our members and shoppers want."Bethlehem Co-Op General Manager Eric Shamis
“We can then leverage that power to get deals on broth or other items, national deals and local products, throughout the whole store," Shamis said.
"We could get BCM-branded vitamins. We could really do a lot of things. And we want the community empowered to use that.
"So we want to know what our members and shoppers want. Collectively, we have the power to get better prices for our customers on national brands, Cascadian Farms, Annie’s, things like that.”
Anyone can shop here
The one-time cost to join the co-op is $300, payable in installments or upfront, and includes full membership, special discounts and discounts at 31 local businesses.
“We now accept credit cards online for joining," Shamis said. "It used to be a PayPal account.”
As of last week, 1,616 people had joined Bethlehem’s first grocery co-op.
“I do a lot of home cooking, local cooking, and I cook very seasonally, so this (market) is perfect."Co-op member-owner Rachel Lynn
But you don’t need to be a member-owner to shop there; anyone can. Simple instructions for shopping and joining, for members and non-members, are spelled out on the store website.
Inventory currently is limited to cooking and baking basics, and co-op T-shirts, but Shamis said he's eager for folks to start making requests and engage the community through social posts and its newsletter.
Member-owner Rachel Lynn picked up her online purchases one day last week. It was Lynn’s first time using the service.
She bought cinnamon, flour and “some veggie broth for some awesome soups, probably with some local produce.”
“I do a lot of home cooking, local cooking, and I cook very seasonally, so this [market] is perfect,” she said.
'Help each other out'
The co-op began forming in 2011 with one person’s idea and each year has evolved.
That grass-roots feel is the inspiration for the honeycomb-shaped lighting installed over the planned checkout area, which Shamis pointed out to Lynn during a quick update tour of the space.
The honeycomb design signifies working together and community, he said.
A wall in the same area also will be made of honeycomb-shaped tiles that will be available for fundraising.
Shamis and Krysti Schmidt, assistant retail general manager, showed LehighValleyNews.com the small trailer at the rear of the property to reveal the dry storage space.
Two commercial-sized refrigerators soon will be plugged in and ready to hold cold and frozen items patrons request, offered for temporary use by another local healthy food entrepreneur.
“Zeke [Zelker] from Zekraft helped us out with those, letting us borrow them, out of the kindness of his heart," Shamis said. "He did that just to help us.
"And that's what's cool about Bethlehem. Everyone just kind of works together to help each other out."
'Still a couple of moving pieces'
Schmidt is busy aggregating products from both local and national vendors.
“One really cool thing that we'll have is local loose-leaf tea for hot tea options in our cafe, and we have some really good local produce, cheese, honey," Schmidt said.
"We get to support all these great local businesses, like Keystone Farms Cheese,” for example.
The latest delay in opening is refrigeration equipment logistics.
“That has the longest lead time, and then installation coordination, and the refrigeration system has to be craned onto the rooftop via condensers," Schmidt said.
"With the cold air piped throughout the building’s planned walk-in coolers for refrigerated and frozen goods.
“I think what people don’t understand is, it’s really expensive to come in with a project like this. That’s why we’re primarily grant-funded and will soon have a capital campaign to raise funds.
“Still a couple of moving pieces, but we anticipate the summer.”
Among the perks to be offered are a free water refill station, bike rack, and outside tables, in addition to 21 two-hour parking spaces.
