Message from our Grocery Manager, Mike Litka

First let me introduce myself. I am Mike Litka, your new grocery manager here at CreekSide. I am thrilled and excited to be part of this new and evolving business and look forward to meeting many of you personally. I can tell you in the short seven weeks that I have been here I have heard and read many different things of what this coop should and should not carry on its shelf.

Just in the last 2-3 weeks we have brought over 200+ new items to the shelves, many of which are "conventional" named products. The great thing about this is that we have not eliminated any of the existing products! We have also made a major shift in the flow of the shop by moving the entire aisle of vitamins and body-care products to where the baking products were - located behind the produce department. In doing this move w e also created a new category of products which we did not have in the store--a still water set (bottled waters).

All of these things happened because of you the members and your requests!

I am here to make the grocery aisles what the members and the community call for. You are the owners and our goal is to satisfy and delight and provide the best shopping experience possible. Now there will be times when we will not be able to get certain products due to availability /price or simply because we do not have the physical space to accommodate every request. When this situation does arise the member will be notified and reason will be given. This is my promise to you.

Last Tuesday we started carrying cans of popular sodas, including Coke and Diet Coke, in the cold drink case by the community room. I look forward to working with everyone connected with CreekSide. Keep the product ideas coming.

Mike

Welcome our New General Manager

The CreekSide Co-op board of directors is very happy to announce that we have hired Victoria Young as our new general manager.  Victoria comes to us with extensive experience in grocery and customer service management, including at several Whole Foods Markets in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey, and most recently at Murray's Cheese in Manhattan, one of the premier cheese and specialty food shops in the country.  She expects to start full-time during the week of May 6th.  We welcome her and can't wait for you to meet her.

Farmers Market Becomes CreekSide Sundays

Local produce and shared economic viability are both very important to CreekSide and a driving force behind our farmers market.  After talking to our vendors from previous years' farmers markets, as well as other co-ops that have run farmers markets, it has become clear that it is not economically viable for either party. Before the store was open the farmers were able to provide local produce at retail prices that provided them with a reasonable profit. Now that the community has a co-op that is able to buy and sell quality local produce at prices below the farmers' market prices, the farmers market model is no longer profitable for our vendors. Angel Piazza, our produce manager, is in contact with several of our farmers market vendors to carry their products in the store.

CreekSide will continue the celebratory atmosphere of an open-air farmer's market with special events for CreekSide Sundays. Every Sunday, beginning on April 14 CreekSide will have:

• Brunch from 9 am to 1 pm. Our hot/cold bar will be piled with breakfast meats, pancakes or French toast, fresh fruit, yogurt, and cereals. And we will serve simple eggs to order from the kitchen. 
• There will be numerous product tastings and demos throughout the store.  

Traffic Update

Since the day our doors opened, CreekSide has brought new life and vitality to the Elkins Park  commercial district.  A by-product of our success has been a marked increase in the volume of all kinds of traffic along and near High School Road -- bike, foot and car.  We have heard from our members on too many cases of traffic infractions, including cars traveling at an excessive rate of speed, not observing stop signs and not respecting pedestrians at crosswalks and intersections.  We are fortunate that there have been no serious incidents so far, but also know that as our commercial district grows -- and in order for it to continue to thrive - we need to do all we can to encourage a safe environment.   

To this end, we have met on several occasions with the Township Manager and Police Department to make them aware of our concerns, and are pleased to report an increased level of enforcement in the area.  We are aware of police stops and citations for speeding and stopping violations.  A monitor has been placed near the store and there is a generally increased police presence.  We are very grateful for the Township's responsiveness and will continue to work with them and you to ensure the best possible shopping experience!

Beer License Discussion

Sixteen members met with board member Arthur Alexander in the community room of the Co-op on the evening of January 24^th to discuss the Co-op’s pursuit of a license to sell beer.  The Co-op is seeking an LCB Eating Place License (E-license) which would allow us to sell up to 192 ounces (two six-packs) per sale for takeout.  A December member survey had 168 responses with 90% in favor of our seeking a license.  Because there are a limited number of E-licenses issued by the LCB, the Co-op has asked the Township Commissioners to help us get an Economic Development License. The commissioners have expressed their support and will schedule a meeting in February for public comment. 

Members at the meeting on January 24 were overwhelmingly in favor of the Co-op adding beer to its product mix. All agreed that it would give the Co-op a unique product not available in competing stores and add to gross revenue.  Preliminary financial information indicates that beer sales would be profitable.  It is expected beer sales would also drive increased food sales, but that it was difficult to predict by how much. 

Discussion included interest in the Craft Beer movement and how it fits into the Co-op product philosophy. Craft brewers are defined as “small (less than 6 million barrels/yr), independent (less than 25% non-craft-brewer-owned) and traditional (50% or greater malt ingredients unlike mega-brewers that use rice and corn).” Craft beer was likened to artisan bread and hand-crafted specialty cheese.  There were questions whether or not sales would be limited to only local brewers and only craft beer.  As with other  products, the type of beer the Co-op sells would depend on member demand, but the emphasis would be on products from local craft brewers. 

If you are interested in attending the Township meeting in support of the Co-op Economic Development E-license or otherwise want to be kept in the loop as things progress, please sign up here.