By Barbara Byers
In late 2009, over coffee, a conversation began among a small group of friends in East Aurora. At the time, the topic at hand – opening a food co-op – was a “what if, pie-in-the-sky” conversation that merely scratched the surface of next steps and commitment levels. The friends went their separate ways, and a funny thing happened. None of them could stop thinking about the idea.
Flash forward 18 months: On April 25, the East Aurora Cooperative Market, Inc., reached a major milestone by welcoming its 500th member-owner! And all simply on a promise. “This may be considered a faith-based effort,” laughingly said Sheila Conboy, president of the EA Co-op board of directors. “What our member-owners are demonstrating is a deep faith in our conviction that we will open our doors and begin serving them, and we couldn’t be more grateful.” READ MORE...