Friendly City Food Co-op has some deep roots in Harrisonburg. It grew out of the Little Store, which was a small local-focused, natural foods store operated by the Little Grill in the Rose’s shopping center. After years of effort by dedicated members of the community, and some pretty impressive fundraising, Friendly City opened its doors on June 6, 2011—in what used to be the Mick or Mack, the last grocery store in downtown Harrisonburg.
Friendly City’s mission makes clear that this community-owned grocery store is more than just about shopping: their aim is to ensure that “the Shenandoah Valley has a vibrant, local economy; fair and friendly relationships; healthy, informed consumers and producers; and a healthy environment.”
Friendly City is doing just that, in many different ways. In the store itself, they source 25% of products and services from within the region and/or Commonwealth of Virginia. All unsellable foods go either to the Food Pantry at Blessed Sacrament Catholic church, or as compost to New Community Project gardens. Friendly City strives for energy efficiency as well. For example, their refrigeration equipment is all new, energy-efficient technology, thus reducing carbon outputs as well as utility costs. They did not use air conditioning at all last summer; instead, the store was cooled entirely with circulating air from coolers. Steve Cooke, the General Manager of Friendly City, explains, “Our ultimate goal is not sustainability, but rather regeneration or restoration of our earth to a better condition than we currently experience.” And, highlighting their efforts, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance awarded Friendly City the Design Excellence award for Overall Renovation in 2011.
Their main challenge is lack of education about the importance of buying local. Customers may look primarily at price without considering other, hidden costs. Steve says, “We must educate consumers on the true cost of food, how to prepare whole foods from scratch or semi-homemade, and keep our store fresh and professional to keep up with the Martin’s and Whole Foods of the world.
In addition to seeking more local producers, Friendly City would like to explore the possibility of using an old walk-in cooler on our loading dock as a mini-local food hub, cross-docking local produce, meats, cheeses, and other goods for area restaurants and other markets. Other possibilities down the road include possibly expanding in their current location and creating mobile food markets to go out around the county and sell local food.
Friendly City is doing lots to build a vibrant community—and hopes to do much more. Indeed, as Steve puts it, “We look forward to building strong, healthy friendships with all of the members of the Green Network and collectively restoring the Valley. Peace, love and local canola oil!”
and services from within the region and/or Commonwealth of Virginia. All unsellable foods go either to the Food Pantry at Blessed Sacrament Catholic church, or as compost to New Community Project gardens. FRIENDLY CITY strives for energy efficiency as well. For example, their refrigeration equipment is all new, energy-efficient technology, thus reducing carbon outputs as well as utility costs. They did not use air conditioning at all last summer; instead, the store was cooled entirely with circulating air from coolers. Steve Cooke, the General Manager of Friendly City, explains, “Our ultimate goal is not sustainability, but rather regeneration or restoration of our earth to a better condition than we currently experience.” And, highlighting their efforts, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance awarded Friendly City the Design Excellence award for Overall Renovation in 2011.
