Bottom Dollar Food’s store in Ambler, PA opened in October 2013 to great fanfare: The mayor of Ambler, Bud Wahl, gushed in a press release: “Right now, we don’t have a grocery store in Ambler…our community has been waiting for the store and could not be more excited.” Now, just one year later, Ambler will […]

The Energy Co-op, a cooperative energy provider based in Philadelphia, announced last week that it hired a new executive director, Glenn Smith. Although Smith, a Bucks County native with over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, started two weeks ago, his predecessor, Jossi Fritz-Mauer, is staying on until the spring to help with […]

This article originally appeared in the Philadelphia Business Journal here.  In the mid-2000s, High School Road in Elkins Park, Pa., was virtually desolate. The shuttered Ashbourne Market was dilapidated and empty storefronts lined the street. A pharmacy shut its doors. An ice cream shop also went under. While Elkins Park has always been a well-to-do […]

The Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA) has elected its first board of directors, marking another milestone for the growing cooperative member association. “We have an incredibly diverse board, representing the diversity of our local co-op movement,” said Peter Frank, the recently hired executive director of PACA. PACA was launched by group of local co-op professionals to […]

There are co-ops for housing, health care, food, taxis, child care, coffee and even sustainable energy in Philadelphia. So why not one for beer? The question occurred to a group of local beer brewers who have over the last year began the work of forming a cooperative that would combine business incubation, brewing education, and the […]

About four years ago, a few University of Pennsylvania students had an idea: create a homeless shelter for college-aged kids, where Penn and other university students would live alongside them. They received grant money for their idea, but that plan didn’t work out. Instead, the Penn Haven Co-op was born. “That’s why it’s called the […]

The 2nd Annual New Economy Week is a nationwide event organized by the New Economy Coalition that is an opportunity for people to explore what it would take to build the economy we need, one that works for people, place, and planet. Online discussions and in-person events will take place from October 13-19. Two are […]

The Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, a newly-formed member association for local co-ops, announced last week that Peter Frank has been hired as its first executive director. Frank, 34, is a fixture in the co-op community. He has worked full-time at established co-ops, served on boards, and volunteered his time to getting new co-ops off the […]

As major companies issue IPOs and apply for large commercial loans, a local food co-op is taking a more modest approach to investment. The Kensington Community Food Co-op is set to begin a campaign to solicit financial loans from its 560 members to help pay for the construction of its storefront location at the intersection […]

[metaslider id=30778] Photos from the 2013 South Philly Garden Tour by marketing/communications committee volunteer Michael Holmes. The South Philly Co-op is hosting its fourth annual South Philly Garden Tour, a self-guided tour showcasing 23 private and community gardens. This year, the tour will visit South Philadelphia neighborhoods such as Bella Vista, Queen Village, Southwark, and […]