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Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative is a worker cooperative, organic food grocery store, and legacy business, located on in the Sunset district of San Francisco. It is one of two grocery cooperatives in San Francisco; the other being Rainbow Grocery Cooperative.

History

Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative was established by volunteer staff in 1975, and many of the early shoppers were also volunteers. The co-op was a part of the People's Food System, a larger network of food co-operatives that developed in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s.

The collapse of the People's Food System created challenges for the store. Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, a longtime worker-member, said: "It was really difficult, especially for a small store like this. We had 10 years that were so difficult financially and organizationally — we almost closed down three times — but the community was our strength. Because we’re so isolated, the community that lives near us is drawn to us."

In 1982, the store moved to its current location at 3930 Judah Street, and it underwent a restructuring in 1987 that converted the store into a "hybrid consumer-co-op." During the 1980s, many businesses in the Outer Sunset closed down due to the recession, but the co-op survived due to community and worker support. In 1999, the store legally became a Worked-Owned Cooperative. In 2008, the cooperative bought the store space, with help from Arizmendi Bakery, Cheese Board Collective, Rainbow Grocery, Veritable Vegetable, and co-op members.

In 2016, a book about the co-op, "Other Avenues Are Possible” was published by PM Press.

On January 20, 2017, the store was closed in protest of the inauguration of Donald Trump. The decision was reached by consensus among the 17 staff members.

In 2018, the co-op became a Legacy Business in San Francisco.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, no workers at the co-op lost their jobs, and some media publications speculated that co-operative businesses were better equipped to handle a pandemic.

The storefront has a mural by Carlo Grünfeld, a San Francisco artist.

References

1. ^ Beacon, Sunset (2024-10-08). "Other Avenues Celebrates a Half Century Serving the West Side". Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
2. ^ "Registry | San Francisco Legacy Business". legacybusiness.org. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
3. https://www.sf.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/item_3f._lbr-2015-16-036_other_avenues.pdf
4. Kauffman, By Jonathan (2017-01-09). "Outer Sunset grocery to close in protest on Inauguration Day". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
5. ^ https://www.sf.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/item_3f._lbr-2015-16-036_other_avenues.pdf
6. ^ Kauffman, By Jonathan (2017-03-16). "Q&A with Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
7. ^ Kauffman, By Jonathan (2017-01-09). "Outer Sunset grocery to close in protest on Inauguration Day". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
8. ^ Tsai, Luke (2020-03-27). "Are Worker-Owned Restaurants Better Equipped to Weather the COVID-19 Crisis?". Eater SF. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
9. Swanhuyser, Hiya (2021-06-18). "No Boss: Bay Area Worker-Owned Businesses Thrive During the Pandemic by Prioritizing Health Over Profits | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
10. "Carlo Grünfeld – San Francisco Women Artists". www.sfwomenartists.org. Retrieved 2024-12-13.

• Health food stores
• Food retailers of the United States
• Food cooperatives in the United States
• Organic food retail organizations
• Worker cooperatives of the United States
• Cooperatives in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Companies based in San Francisco
• Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Supermarkets based in California