Cooperative Community
The community of Clearwater, Manitoba is not one that gives up easily; it is small but vibrant. Though a town of only 75 people, Clearwater has managed to maintain its store, restaurant and post office. When both businesses were for sale for nearly two years, with no serious inquiries, the community knew something had to be done. So they organised a cooperative to run the businesses, and today the store and restaurant remain a vital part of the community.
A New Beginning
In 1999, Linda Gundrum, original owner of the Clearwater grocery store, was trying to sell the business. Although Linda wanted to get out of the business, she would never close the doors on the community, and knew she would continue the business herself if she couldn’t find a buyer.
But Linda had an idea; she approached a few community members and suggested that they try running the store as a cooperative. The group met a number of times to discuss the idea, and organise a system of shares. The group began by advertising for a manager, knowing it would be easier to sell the idea to the community with the security of having someone to manage day to day operations.
The Cooperative
When a manager was found the group presented the idea of a cooperative to the community at a town hall meeting, and shares in the Clearwater grocery sore were put up for sale. With 300 shares selling for $100, enough money could be raised to purchase the store. Within 48 hours all shares were sold. Even when unexpected expenses arose and the cooperative was short of funds, community members continued to provide donations and loans.
There is the opportunity for dividends in any cooperative system, but Linda believes that most people did not care about the money. In the end, the main concern was keeping the store in town. Most people viewed the shares as a donation to their community.
A New Store
In 2001, Linda Gundrum sold the store to the community. The store was closed for six weeks while renovations took place. Like the purchase of the store, renovations were a community effort and everyone chipped.
A new bakery was developed in the store to offer variety and this feature helps to draw customers. Every Thursday Marion Chewings a local baker comes in to bake biscuits, scones, cookies and muffins. The smell of fresh baking is usually enough to entice customers. In summer, fresh salads are also available at the store.
New owners have since been found for the store. Al and Lynne Wallis took over the store in 2003. The Wallises had been living in Winnipeg for 15 years, but when Al left his job at Canadian Pacific Rail, they were looking for something new. Lynne had grown up in Clearwater and her family still live in the village, while Al’s roots lie in the village of Glenboro. Clearwater could have maintained the store under the cooperative system but the opportunity of having a young family move into town was appealing.
All Over Again
In 2005, a similar situation arose in Clearwater with the town’s restaurant. After 2 years on the market, it was announced that the restaurant would be closing. The building would likely be moved out of town. It was evident that the community had to do something to keep the business.
The Social Place
The restaurant is an important meeting place that helps tie the community together. It is a central part of social life in Clearwater, where people gather to talk about farming, hockey, curling, and family.
“I think for people in a small farming community, it’s therapy. You know people have the same problems as you have, you share that and you can benefit. You can talk about whatever is bothering you and people are going to listen.” (Linda Gundrum)
The restaurant is the also the meeting place of the Clearwater Senate, a group of women who gather once a week to discuss town events and the issues. The women of the senate can tell you anything you want to know about the Clearwater community. The Senate is a huge source of support for families and community projects.
This is the third time that the Clearwater community has pitched in to save the restaurant. In the early 1990s, the old coffee shop was run down, and a new building had to be found and moved to Clearwater. While the new coffee shop was being set up, coffee was served by volunteers in the curling rink from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The Second Time Around
Once again a group of community members gathered to organise a cooperative system. The purchase of the restaurant was somewhat easier, given the community’s past experience with the cooperative system.
However there were a few additional details that needed to be ironed out, including the post office, which operated out of the restaurant, and reapplication for a liquor license. There were also extra expenses with the restaurant that were not considered at first.
Additionally, a deadline for the purchase of the restaurant was given to the community, as the former owner wanted to leave by a certain date. So the community was rushed to sell shares. This time the number of available shares was left open and shares can still be purchased today.
Government Support Program
The community council in charge of the restaurant applied for a tax credit through Manitoba Agriculture and Rural Initiatives. This credit gave share holders a 30% personal income tax credit on the purchase of each share. Shares could not be sold until the application had been approved; meanwhile the deadline for the purchase of the store was quickly approaching. Confusion at the minister’s office forced the community to ask the Clearwater Sports Club for a loan.
The tax credits were likely a selling point for a few people in the community, however it caused a lot of hassle for the council, and would likely be avoided in the future.
A New Face
Amy, manager of the new store, had been working at the golf course in Pilot Mound when two council members approached her about managing the restaurant; she liked the idea and accepted it. She now runs the business as if it was her own, ordering products, organising finances, hiring staff and the day to day operations.
Amy is considering buying the restaurant from the community after a year, if the business is viable. If she does purchase the restaurant, Amy has many ideas for additions to the restaurant, including a patio, sports bar and special functions room.
Clearwater Baseball Tournament
For 55 years the small town of Clearwater Manitoba has hosted an annual ball tournament, which attracts nearly 2000 people. Today the tournament is a major fundraiser for the town of 75 people.
The Early Days
Prior to World War II, Joe Avery hosted an annual ball tournament on his land near the Rock Lake. In the early days of the tournament teams came from as far away as Chicago, many players destined for the major leagues. Likely due to conditions after the War Mr. Avery did not continue the tournament. So in the late winter of 1951 a group from the nearby town of Clearwater gathered to discuss the potential of hosting the annual ball tournament in their town.
Clearwater Sports Club
The community formed the Clearwater Sports Club, and have been hosting an annual ball tournament ever since. The tournament is held at the edge of town, on land owned by the Orange Lodge. The Lodge plowed the pastures and shrubbery and turned the land into ball diamonds. In 1970 the Sports Club purchased the land, and it became the Clearwater Sports Park.
Currently the Club’s president is Tom Stone, other positions include secretary-treasurer and 5 directors. The Sports Club meets formally twice a year once in the middle of April and again at the end of June to get ready for the tournament July 1st. Tom Stone has acted as president for the past 10 years, but like many residents of Clearwater he has been involved with the tournament for most of his life.
A Community Event
Come tournament time the entire community is involved. The Community helps by putting up posters around the district weeks before the tournament, working at the food concessions, umpping baseball, working the front gate, organising teams, or parking cars. After 55 years hosting the tournament the Clearwater knows what needs to be done, and the Sports Club never needs to give much instruction. Community members take on the jobs they have done for years.
The community is called out for the work day a few days prior to the tournament. During this day infields are mowed, bathrooms cleaned, fencing is fixed, and tables and seating are set up in the skating rink for the concession stands. After the tournament children are given $1 for every bag of garbage they fill.
Work begins early July 1st, people are out at 6:30 a.m. laying base lines, for the first games at 9 a.m. Games continue into the evening until it is too dark to play. The tournament runs fairly smooth with only minor glitches.
“We are pretty fortunate that we have this community, everybody lends a hand and puts in their time.” (Tom Stone)
Food for the tournament is donated by community members, including the cooking of turkeys, hams, and making desserts and salads. Come game day many of the women of Clearwater work at the skating rink preparing the meals and selling food. A second concession is set up to sell drinks, chips, hamburgers and hotdogs. Any leftover food such as hams and pies, are sold off whole at the end of the day.
Since the 50th anniversary of the tournament in 2001, beer gardens have been added to the tournament. In earlier year there were no beer gardens because of the high number of children in attendance. To maintain the day as a family event, the beer gardens do not open until 8:00 p.m. Tom Stone also jokes, that if they were open earlier there would be no one to work at the tournament.
Funding for the Tournament
The very first tournament was financed by loans taken out by Sports Club executives. Today the cost of the tournament ranges from $15 000 to $20 000, covering the cost of maintenance, equipment, umpires, and advertisement.
Originally umpires were volunteers from the community but with fewer umpires in town these years, the Sports Club has had to hire umpires from surrounding communities; in 2005 12 umpires were hired for the day. The Sports Club pays for foul ball caught by spectators. Buying back the balls saves the Club a lot of money in the expenses of new equipment.
Approximately 75 teams play each year. There is no registration fee for players; rather players pay a $5 gate fee like everyone else. All teams are guaranteed at least two games. Prizes are cash, the winning senior team receives $400 dollars and from there the amount goes down accordingly.
The net income of the tournament is approximately $10 000 each year. The tournament draws in about 1900 people each year for the one day event.
A New Diamond
The community recently built its eleventh baseball diamond. The cost was kept relatively low as many of the supplies were recycled material. The Sports Club purchased light standards from Manitoba Hydro, the standards are used to make backstops. Partial funding for new backstop wire was obtained through a Community Places grant.
A New Tractor
The Sports Club and skating rink committee shared the expense of a tractor. The skating rink makes use of the tractor in the winter to prepare the ice. The Sports Club uses the tractor and a mower in the summer to cut the grass at the Sport Park. In the early years of the tournament the grass was only cut just before game day, and stacked as hay.
During the summer the Sports Club splits the expenses to hire a Hometown Green Team student to do the maintenance around the fields. A partial grant is received for this position from the Government of Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth branch, the Sports Club, town and cemetery split the remaining cost.
Supporting Clearwater
Money raised at the tournament goes into the maintenance costs of the Clearwater Sports Park, including eleven baseball diamonds, hockey rink, curling rink and play structure. The Sports Club paid for a portion of the original cost to the develop the Sports Park. A certain amount of funds must be kept by the Sports Club in case of rain one year, this ensures the tournament continues the following year.
Remaining funds are distributed to community groups upon request. Allocation decisions are made by the Sport Board members. Almost all Clearwater community groups have benefited from the Sports Club in one way or another. “We are very fortunate to have the day, it kind of keeps the town running.” (Tom Stone, President of Clearwater Sports Club)
Rain Check
Rain made 2005 the most trying year in the tournament’s history, 2005 was the wettest year on record. A lot of days prior to the event was spend removing water from the fields. Water was pumped out of the field and also drained using the local electrician’s chain trencher. Thankfully July 1st was a sunny day.
Over the 55 years of the tournament the community has only cancel the tournaments twice because of rain. When tournaments are cancelled people find other way to pass the day, after all somebody has to stick around to eat all the food prepared for the event. One year a rainout resulted in a Belgian bowling tournament in the skating rink.
Community Contact
Tom Stone
Box 15
Clearwater, MB
R0K 0M0
Lillian’s Tea Room
For a couple dollars you can get a cup of tea, a biscuit and endless conversation. Lillian’s Tea Room in Crystal City is where friendships are created and grow. The tea room is filled everyday with laughter and conversation.
Building Friendships
When Lillian Keays retired from her job at the Royal Bank in 1990 at the age of 65, she wasn’t ready to stop working just quite yet. Lillian’s love for the small town led her to do something that she felt would give back to her community. Lillian opened Lillian’s Tea Room in the old Manitoba Telecom Systems building on the main street of Crystal City.
Lillian had noticed over the years neighbors were not spending as much time visiting as they once did. Lillian wanted to create a place where people could drop in for a visit, and where neighbours could catch up. Lillian also felt that the tea room would be good for her after retirement, keeping her busy during the days.
“And I didn’t know if I was crazy or not, but I knew that I liked to bake very plain fare of course, none of the fancy stuff, and we’d have coffee and scones.”
For the first five years of operation Lillian rented the building, but when it became clear that the tea room was a success, Lillian bought the building. The Tea Room was doing exactly what she intended: it was a social place bringing people together, and for Lillian it has been a fun adventure. “It was filling a need for so many people and that was the idea right from the beginning.”
A Familiar Place
The small building only has four tables, but at coffee time on a weekday the room is filled with conversation and laughter. Women from town and from surrounding farms, stop in almost every morning, while others arrange to gather at the tea room regularly on Friday mornings. People begin trickling in at eight o’clock and the room is full by ten o’clock. Lillian has kept the tea room very simple over the years, and has found success in the friendships that have grown in this modest space.
For the past 15 years Lillian has been at the tea room at 6:30 every morning to bake the day’s treat of scones, simple cakes, biscuits or muffins. The Tea Room has only been closed a few times over the years for a broken ankle, and for a vacation or two.
A Tradition Continued
The tea cups, saucers, creamers and sugar cup came from what Lillian had collected over the years. Lillian didn’t want her tea cups to go unused collecting dust in the back of a cupboard; she wanted them to be valued by friends. The cups and saucers don’t always match at the tea room and over the years cups have lost their gold rim. But this makes Lillian smile because she knows that they have been used and enjoyed. Ten very special gold rimmed plates hang on the walls of the tea room for all to see. These particular plates once belonged to Lillian’s grandmother.
The kitchen came equipped with two sinks, but not much else, so Lillian brought in a fridge, oven and table for extra counter space. Some of the tables and chairs came from Lillian’s home, while others were given to her from friends and family. The paint is chipping off them now but those who come to Lillian’s enjoy the character it adds and tell her not to change a thing.
Lillian is able to pick up most of her supplies like the teas and baking ingredients at the local grocery store. The coffee she gets from a delivery truck that comes around town once a month.
Gathering Places
Lillian believes that a gathering place such as her tea room or the town’s restaurant is crucial for the survival of any small town; these places are social hubs of the rural community. They provide a place for people to meet, to talk and a place for support.
“Let’s face it if you don’t have a restaurant you don’t have a town, you could do without everything else but you couldn’t do without a restaurant.”
Women come into Lillian’s and may sit around a table talking amongst themselves for a couple hours. When they leave they thank her for “her couch”; it’s a therapeutic place for many women.
“You may come in a stranger but you never leave as one”
“I think that that is where the success has been, I didn’t take it on to make money, because when I took it on at that stage in my life it was just a place for people to come and visit.”
One of the most enjoyable times for Lillian is when young people come into the tea room, or when people who once visited the tea room as children come years later as adults, remembering fond times sitting in the tea room with their mothers and grandmothers. “It’s just like Heaven sent when they do that, so I know that I have made memories for them.”
Lillian tells the story of a young man, about 17 years old, who came into the tea house one day. It was towards the end of the day and the light was shining in through the window so Lillian couldn’t see the boy’s face and she wondered why a young man would be coming into the Tea Room. She asked the boy if she could help him and he told her he remembered coming into the Tea Room with his great grandmother and they had tea at the table in the corner.
Lillian soon recognized the boy; they sat and talked for a while. When Lillian rang some money into the cash register he recalled the story of when he was small and she had held him up to the register and he had punched the numbers. Before the boy left she gave him the biscuits left over from the day. “That just absolutely made my day, well because to start with, a boy that age to come it meant a lot because I would have never thought they would have ever thought about it.”
Spreading the Word
Lillian advertises in the Country Register, a small newspaper created in Kipling, Saskatchewan which advertising tea houses, quilting, knitting and other craft stores from across the prairies. But she hasn’t had to do much advertisement because the tea room is well known throughout the area.
Special Days
For special occasions such as Christmas and birthdays Lillian hosts wine and cheese parties in the tea room. On such occasions she will open later in the afternoon and carry on until nine o’clock. She does this only for special occasions, because a liquor permit is required for the wine and cheese parties. At Christmas time Lillian serves hot apple cider to show her appreciation to the community for all their support.
Community Contact
Lillian Keays
Lillian’s Tea Room
212 Broadway St. S.
Crystal City, MB
R0K 0N0
Plum Coulee Community Revitalisation
The village of Plum Coulee Manitoba is being transformed; five projects aim to revitalize the village and bring energy back into the community. Projects include walking trails through the village, swimming and fishing ponds, a heritage square, Main Avenue renewal and a multi-purpose facility in the old grain elevator.
Plum Coulee Foundation
Visit Plum Coulee for yourself www.plumcoulee.com/development.html
A Tired Town
Plum Coulee had become a bedroom community to the nearby city of Winkler. With fewer and fewer familiar faces on the streets of Plum Coulee, community spirit was suffering. Buildings on Main Avenue were beginning to look very tired and the two old grain elevators were closed and scheduled for demolition.
The Awakening
In 2001, with the help of a grant from the Saydie and Sam Bronfman Foundation, the community began to turn things around. The plan was to revive the village through community-led projects over a 10 year period.
Five projects were planned for the community, including Heritage Square, Swimming Hole Beach, Main Avenue Streetscape, Prairie View Elevator and Heritage Walk. Today, the town is five years into the project, and changes are already apparent.
“We are only half-way through our ten year plan and our school population is growing, we can see it already, there is an excitement here in the community” (Heather Unger, co-chair of the Plum Coulee Foundation)
Bronfman Foundation
Saydie Rosner grew up in the community of Plum Coulee, where her father owned the original Rosner-Brownstone general store. Saydie went to school in Winnipeg, and when she married the wealthy industrialist Samuel Bronfman and moved to Montréal, most people figured she’d forgotten about the tiny village. But Saydie always maintained a great love for her hometown. In 2001, when Saydie’s daughter Phyllis Lambert attended Plum Coulee’s centennial celebration, she also fell in love with the town and the elevators on the prairie skyline.
On behalf of the Saydie and Samuel Bronfman Family Foundation, Phyllis approached the community with the desire to contribute something to the town. The community gathered to discuss ideas, and together they developed a ten year plan.
The Saydie and Sam Bronfman foundation has contributed funding each year to the community, which must be matched through fundraising and volunteer time.
Plum Coulee Foundation
The first step was to create the Plum Coulee Foundation (PCF). The Foundation oversees all projects and also works to channel community donations. There are 16 members of the Foundation. Five members lead one of the five PCF projects, each with a secondary committee of five to ten people. The committees plan the projects and do the physical work of developing and maintaining the projects.
When the Foundation began their work, they realized that different community groups were competing for the same government funding and community donations. Now PCF strives to provide a uniform approach to all community projects and organizations, ensuring funds are distributed evenly. Heather Unger, co-chair of the Foundation, strongly recommends that other communities develop similar foundations, as they serve to brings organization to community efforts.
THE FIVE PROJECTS
Heritage square
The railway has played an important role in the history of Plum Coulee, as the steam engines once stopped at the coulee to fill with water. The story goes that the wild plums were so thick that it was difficult to walk, leading to the naming of the town. At the center of Heritage Square, a fountain will commemorate the role water has played in the history of the town.
The Canadian Pacific Rail has donated 11 train cars, and a steam engine was donated from a Pine Falls paper company. The train will be a backdrop for Heritage Square and will possibly be developed into a hostel. A picnic shelter fit with an old train station roof houses interpretive plaques about the early years of the rail.
The site also has a multi-purpose asphalt surface and fire pit, which will serve as an outdoor winter skating rink, site for roller blading, parking, and house the tents for the annual Plum Fest.
Plum Fest is an initiative aimed at building community spirit and increasing the arts in the community. The festival has outdoor street dances, and live music day and night all weekend.
Swimming Hole Beach
Over the years the two forgotten reservoirs that once supplied the community with water had become badly polluted. But the Foundation began to see a new potential in the ponds: with a little work the lakes could be an attractive recreation spot. The lakes were completely drained and garbage cleaned out. One pond has become a swimming hole with new sand, with wild plum trees planted along the shores. In 2001 Plum trees no longer grew in the village, so trees were generously donated from nearby farms.
The second pond will be left as a natural wetland and stocked with fish for catch and release.
Every summer, community members sign up for a ten day volunteer maintenance period at the beach. Individuals are responsible for watering and weeding the $700 worth of plum-coloured petunias and the other plants.
Main Avenue Streetscape
The revitalization of rundown Main Avenue became an important initiative for Plum Coulee. Main Avenue now has cobblestone sidewalks lined with lamp posts and trees. Local manufactures were contracted to build the lamps.
Businesses on Main Avenue were encouraged to improve the exterior of their buildings. Although there was no funding specifically for the businesses, most have worked to improve the appearance for their buildings. Local youth groups have also pitched in.
“It’s amazing how investing just a little bit of money gives people confidence to spend a little bit more and just fix up their old buildings.”
From Grain Elevator to Community Space
The grain elevator constructed in Plum Coulee in the 1970s was the last wooden elevator to be built in Manitoba. In 2001 the two grain elevators of Plum Coulee were scheduled to be torn down, but the community wasn’t ready to see them go. Aided by the Bronfman Foundation, Plum Coulee convinced Argicore United to donate one of the elevators to the Plum Coulee Foundation. The donation included the building and property around it, as well as the rail spur near the elevator. The second elevator is rented to a local farmer for his grain cleaning business.
As an elevator, the building was never intended for people, but the community plans on having people all the way to the top of their elevator. A lot of time has been spent with engineers and architects to establish a design that would pass building regulations.
The elevator will be a multi-purpose building. The first floor will include office space, and an interpretive center depicting how grain is handled and how elevators work. A film of the renovation process will be part of the building’s interpretation.
A replica of the town’s first Rosner-Brownstone general store will be built in the annex; here visitors can purchase local crafts. The raw wood in the annex has been pounded with grain for years, making it extremely smooth. The building will be insulated from the outside in order to preserve this wood.
A glass elevator will take visitors to the top of the grain elevator. On the way up, people will be able to see the core of the elevator, and the operating equipment. Visitors will also be able to climb to the top of the grain bins on a climbing wall.
At the top of the elevator, visitors can sit in a lounge or the small restaurant and look out across the prairies. A 22 foot ceiling in the restaurant will allow for the preservation of the equipment once used to distributed grain to the elevator’s bins. The restaurant will likely have a dozen employees as well as community volunteers working on a daily basis.
The head of the grain elevator committee once worked in the elevator when it was still operational, and has a great knowledge of the building; he often offers tours of the elevator on special occasions.
Walking trails
A network of paved walking trails weaves its way through town, connecting the five community projects. Along the trails interpretive signs tell the history of Plum Coulee. The village keeps the trails clear of snow all winter.
A Community Effort
Almost all of the work thus far has been done by volunteers, using local equipment. During the first two years, one member of the Plum Coulee Foundation worked as part-time staff for the Foundation to help get the project rolling. He was hired through the town as an Economic Officer.
The Foundation has contracted some of the carpentry work to individuals who once worked for Manitoba Pool in a nearby town.
Fundraising
Fundraising is a huge part of the Foundation’s work. One important fundraising project is the annual bulk mailing of information and donation forms. Forms are also available year round at local businesses. The Foundation has found that fundraising is most successful when people are able to purchase a tangible object instead of simply giving a sum of money to the Foundation. As such, community members are able to purchase the street lamps, trees and interpretive plaques along Main Avenue, as well as the boards on the walkway connecting Heritage Square and the elevator. Small plaques with the names of community members commemorate these donations.
Community Contact
Heather Unger
Chair of Plum Coulee Community Foundation
1-204-829-3731
Roseisle Community Cooperative
The farm income crisis and the recent BSE crisis were taking their toll on the small town of Roseisle. The grocery store in town was set to close, not an unlikely story for a town with a population of 75. With the loss of the store and post office it probably wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if this town simply disappeared from the map. But the community was not ready to let its town go that easily. They were determined to keep their town vibrant and they were going to keep a grocery store in town.
If Life Gives You Lemons…
The small Manitoban town of Roseisle was really feeling the effects of the farm crisis in rural Manitoba. Garth Campbell, owned the general store in town, was losing money, his business was no longer viable. So in July 2004 he announced to the town that he would be closing his doors.
…Make Lemonade
At first the town was in shock but it didn’t take long for them to realise that they needed to do something and they had to do it fast. The town looked at renovating the 103 year old grocery store but knew it would be too costly. Talk turned about the idea of a cooperative store. Community members knew that the cooperative system had worked for friends in the town of Clearwater when they were faced with a similar situation a few years earlier. So the community of Roseisle set to work, and Garth agreed to keep his store open until the new one could be built.
Getting Involved
A steering committee was formed, and elections held to appoint a board of directors to oversee the construction and operation of the new store. Today the board is made up of 6 community members who meet at least once a month. Garth Campbell, was involved with the board until he was hired as manager of the new store. Garth had valuable experience and knowledge in running a grocery business.
When the store was opened a manager, assistant manager and two park-time staff were hired for the day to day operations. The Cooperative also houses the post office, something that would have been lost if the community had been unable to maintain a store in town.
Garth had confidence in this system, he knew that people would have a vested interest in seeing the store do well. As part owners of the business, and with the possibility of dividends customers were tied into the store’s success.
Getting Started
The town found advice and support from the government of Manitoba’s Cooperative Development Services (http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/ri/coop_index.html). A representative from the agency spent time in Roseisle working with the group. The Government official provided the town with information for setting up the co-op, and coached them through the process from start to finish.
With a strong sense of determination the community had the building open in four months. The land was levelled October 30th 2004, construction started in the middle of November and Roseisle Community Grocery Co-op was open on March 14 2005.
There wasn’t ever any doubt in the project, there was a little frustration and a great deal of experimentation but the community never stopped. After the first year of operation it is already clear that the store is making money.
“We don’t ask can we do this thing, we say okay we are going to do this and how fast can we do it and we just do it” ~Garth Campbell, Manager of Roseisle Cooperative
Becoming a Member
Memberships are 500 dollars a piece and shares sold fast. Currently there are 117 members, and the number continues to grow. An increase in the share price has the benefit of to nudging people who have not already to buy. But the decision to increase the shares to $750 was rejected because it was known that individuals within the community intending on purchasing a share once they have recovered from the BSE crisis.
A New Look
There are many differences between the Cooperative and the old Campbell’s store. The new store proved to be a learning process for all. The Cooperative has a computer for record keeping and a new till system that records what each member buy so members receives dividends on what their purchases.
The products offered at the store in town have also changed. Clothing and hardware are no longer available, as it has become far too difficult to compete with the large chain stores in cities. Rather Roseisle Co-op focuses on what customers need on a daily basis, including a more diverse grocery selection and basic farming equipment.
“You have to know your community; you have to know what you need to cater to.” (Garth Campbell)
Garth believes that the more diversity you can offer the greater potential you have to draw people in and the better the business will do. The Co-op offers video rentals, environmental friendly cleaning products, fair trade coffee, local meat, and locally grown and processed organic foods.
“A lot of people come in here and they are surprised to see that we have these things here, but this is Roseisle we are always different.” (Campbell)
Another one of the stores drawing cards is the deli, which offers fresh soup and sandwiches. A small sitting area gives people a place to grab a bite to eat or a fresh cup of coffee and a place to catch up with neighbours and friends. The deli takes up a lot of space but has proven to be very beneficial to the store.
The Grocery store has become a member of the buying group Triple 4 Advertising which arranges advertising, sales and promotions through Prat’s Wholesale in Winnipeg.
The new building is very energy efficient, the store’s refrigeration is used to do a lot of the heating so that the furnace does not have to be turned on often. In the summer exhaust fan blow the heat from the coolers’ motors outside, so less air conditioning is needed. All the lighting is energy efficient. These factors help keep electricity costs low.
Funding
The municipality has been very supportive of the project, the land was sold to the community for one dollar and the municipality installed water to the building. The municipality is also helping with taxes wherever possible.
The community pulled on the knowledge and experience that was available to them locally. Designs for the store were done by a local architect free of charge. Community volunteers fundraised and built the entire store, save for the wiring which had to be contracted to a licensed electrician. The community fundraised and purchase all the equipment required for the store when it opened, a lot of the equipment came from Garth’s old store.
On the ground breaking day a huge auction sale fundraiser was held, for which everything was donated including the auctioneer’s time. There was a wide array of items up for auction including house hold items, cars, camper trailer, antiques, even shares in a semi-truck.
The community has had other small fundraisers since the store has opened, and is always thinking up new ideas. Steve Jackson, a local artist, donated his painting of the old Campbell’s General Store. The painting was raffled off, raising 3000 dollars. At the annual July 1st celebration the store hosted a big barbeque on the street and sold bison steak dinners. The bison meat was donated from a local farmer.
Contact Information
Roseisle Community Grocery Co-op ltd.
Box 135 Roseisle, MB
R0G 1V0
Phone: (204) 828-3479
roseisle@mts.net