By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Kennett Community Grocer, an entity that began eight years ago with a dream to provide farm-fresh food directly to consumers as a way of celebrating the diversity of the Kennett Square community, has finally received its grandest and long-awaited wish.

Beginning next Spring, its nearly 500 member-owners will be able to shop at Kennett Community Grocer’s (KCG) first home.

At a Sept. 23 meeting before a gathering of members and area growers, KCG’s Edie Burkey announced that the co-op is being provided a lease offer from the owners of the former Minnie’s Bakery in Kennett Square, with plans to renovate the space this coming winter in time for its projected opening next April.

Located at the corner of Cope and East Cypress streets, the 3,000-square-foot store was the former home of Minnie’s Bakery, whose birthday cakes appeared on the tables of thousands of homes in southern Chester County for decades and who became locally famous for its cheesecake.

‘Farm Stop’ model

Burkey said that KCG will adopt its business plan based on the “Farm Stop” model – a concept that will allow suppliers to receive higher prices for their products through a consignment agreement with KCG; foster community connections by providing a space for its member-owners to engage with local suppliers and attend events and classes in sustainable farming and healthy eating; support the local economy by providing a reliable outlet for local producers that will keep profits from sales within the area by creating jobs and sustaining livelihoods; and contribute to a more sustainable food system.

“The Farm Stop model meets our mission, which is to support our local farmers and local producers,” Burkey said. “The pendulum has swung too far in the area of industrial agriculture, and economics are stacked impossibly against small and mid-sized farms. Innovative approaches are needed to make ‘shopping local’ easier and sustain farms economically. Farm Stops represent a breakthrough economic model.” 

The development of KCG’s new home is currently underway. Burkey said that she and the KCG board are working with an architect to develop the store’s interior and will be meeting with a design and construction team soon. 

“We are mission directed to sell only local food,” Burkey said. “Our common goal is to support local farm incomes, and it will require all of us to work together. We want to go out to the farms. We want to go out to the organizations who are supporting farmers. We want to support new growers and well-established growers, with a mixture of price points and a mixture of growing practices. 

“It’s your store,” Burkey told the farmers and member-owners in the audience. “We’ll create it, but it’s yours.”

Serving the common good

Plans call for the store to be open seven days a week throughout the entire calendar year, but before the first customer is served, there is still a lot of work to do. KCG’s capital campaign, entitled “Open the Doors,” is currently underway with a goal to reach $500,000 in funding. Special events with potential donors are being planned, and naming opportunities for store equipment such as shelving bins and produce displays in the store will be available. 

“What we imagined was that we would have an impact on the local economy, for the common good,” Burkey said, referring to KCG’s founders. “Chester County is an agricultural community, and if we the citizens want to serve the common good, we’re going to take care of our farmers, and help them get the highest dollar value we can sustainably provide. 

“If we as citizens want to take care of our farmers, we’re going to build a store like this. We are committed to swing this pendulum, and we will become an economic model that will break through the traditional grocery mold.”

To learn more about Kennett Community Grocer and to make a contribution to the “Open the Doors” campaign, visit www.kennettcommunitygrocer.coop or email: [email protected].

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].