Prairie Food Co-Op opening in Lombard, Illinois as food prices keep rising
A couple in DuPage County are opening a co-op grocery store they hope can address the strain of ever-rising food costs.
The store is planned for Lombard, and the founders hope to have it open in weeks, but they need to clear one final financial hurdle.
People stopped by for a peek inside Prairie Food Co-Op Wednesday, where the sign is up but the doors aren't open yet.
"We see so many people looking in, sometimes we have to stop them from trying to come in," said Jerry Nash, co-founder.
Founders Kathy and Jerry Nash said they're close to the finish line of their dream after more than a decade of trying to bring this co-op to life.
"I think if we can raise $300,000 more we can go back and figure out where we might cut services, where we might save a little money here and there," Nash said. "I think we can make it at $300,000."
Under the co-op model, shoppers can buy in and become owners for a one-time fee of $200, which then affords them certain perks like discounts at the register or free coffee for early shoppers.
The Nashes have lined up about $4.5 million in funding, no small feat in a time when everything feels more expensive.
"When we started organizing you could probably open a co-op for $1 million," Jerry Nash said. "As we have gone on with inflation, with the COVID crisis, with the recession, with so many other things that we have dealt with in just the last five years, it has really taken prices to an astronomical level. But we have always just put one foot in front of the other and kept our eye on our goal, and here we are."
The Nashes have rented and renovated the space for Prairie Food Co-Op, bringing in all the fixtures. But until they've met their financial goal, they can't know what food they'll stock or how many people they'll hire.
"We were always farmer's market focused; craft shows, art fairs. This allows us to really be more accessible to people because we are working with other people," said Brooke Bingaman, soap makers and owners of Soapy Roads.
Brooke and her husband Joe Bingaman are already on board, saying the co-op would expand their business.
The Nashes want to get that final financial push locked in, because that will let them open these doors.
"It's a lot," Kathy Nash said. "But it's going to feel so humbling, and exciting, and a lot of emotions all at the same time."
No opening date is set yet for Prairie Food Co-Op; it all depends on the next few weeks of fundraising. More information about the co-op, how to become an owner, and the progress towards opening, click here.
