"From a Bunch of Hippies to a Modern Dispenser of Food"

By Cathy Goodwin
Email or phone 505-534-4294

DESERT EXPOSURE September 2004
Monthly regional magazine
Edited David Fryxell

"Two guys who worked in a welding shop covered with soot, and Beth Menczer who had been throwing pots. Who would have thought we'd start a food Co-Op!" Herbie Marsden vividly remembers standing in front of Miller Welding, behind the present Co-Op site, during a lunch hour in the fall of 1974.

Thirty years later, the Silver City Food Co-Op thrives as one of the oldest businesses in town. With twenty-three employees (a combination of part-time and full-time) and a mortgage-free building, it's come a long way from lunch hour at a welding shop.

Founders wistfully remember the Co-Op's early days. Initially the friends formed a club to buy bulk foods, operating out of Beth Menczer's checkbook. They'd pick up grain from suppliers like Arrowhead Mills and "divvy up," Marsden remembers, on the porch of what is now the residence of David and Susan Berry. Beth Menczer's dog, Vinny, escorted her to the bank, now Town Hall, carrying the bag of money.

David Berry recalls lending one hundred dollars to finance the first delivery and waiting three years to get repaid, interest-free. With his cat, Maggie, he also chaired the mouse committee. Bill Carlis wrote the constitution and bylaws. One legend holds that the group couldn't afford business phone service. A woman ­ not Susan Berry ­ signed for a private line as "Susan C. Coop," with a directory listing"S.C. Coop."

The group grew to "ten to fifteen regulars and maybe ten to fifteen occasionals," Marsden remembers. Members made requests on mimeographed sheets. Over time, the organizers began wrapping and selling to walk-ins. As demand grew, members realized they needed a manager. In 1976. Jim Goodkind became the Co-Op's first fulltime employee, earning the princely salary of $300 a month.

Silver City in the seventies was right for a Co-Op, the founders remember. "You could do anything," recalls Menczer. "Nobody knew what anything was ­ you could just do it."
"It was a mining town," explains Dave Berry. "And that meant people were open and forgiving. They were able to work hard and were more reliant on friendship and helping each other out. Community values are compatible with Co-Op values: honesty, hard work, sharing in joys together."

Although Mischuk remembers the original group as "a bunch of hippies," Menczer adds that downtown merchants were overwhelmingly supportive from the beginning. Dave Pollack's sign received a commendation from the town in 1978.

"As soon as word got out that a Co-Op had started," recalls David Berry, "suddenly there was a wonderful group from Gila, and a bunch from the Mimbres. Local ranchers started coming out, because they believed in quality food and buying in bulk. So in very short order -- a couple of years-- we had a fairly well-rounded membership. Good quality and low prices ­ we cross all boundaries when people want to eat well."

Betty Mischuk remembers the 1980's as turbulent, despite gross sales of $76,000. The store never seemed to have enough workers, cash or inventory. In response, the store replaced two coordinators with today's struture, a Manager and Assistant Manager.

"It was really fun," recalls Pamela Patrick, who others credit with bringing order out of chaos. "We were all young and there were many children who grew up with the Co-Op ­ the Co-Op kids, we called them." Patrick's own daughter, Molly, began working for the Co-Op officially at fourteen.

The Co-Op moved to its present Sixth and Bullard location in 1985, where the Board authorized investments to buy equipment and refurbish the building, especially the roof and awning "We've never been closed for any renovation," Patrick says proudly. By 1995, Mischuk's history reports, Co-Op sales were over $500,000. Since then the Co-Op has expanded steadily and remained in the black.

Patricia Walsh is part of the new breed of Co-Op employees. She and her husband began shopping at the Co-Op when they lived in Rodeo, NM. When the couple moved to Silver City nearly three years ago, she applied for work because, "I felt the Co-Op was a hub within the community, a place to meet like-minded people."

Tyrone Wright joined the Co-Op in late 2001. A former photojournalist with the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, he now heads the Co-Op's Volunteer Outreach program. Community members volunteer to work at health fairs, Earth Day events, Penny Park clean-ups and other ventures approved by the Board. Volunteers who complete a three-hour shift get twenty percent discounts on any Co-Op merchandise, as much as they want for an entire week.

Pat Zimbelman moved here less than six months ago from Austin, TX, but she lost no time applying for a job. Her husband's sister in Eureka, CA, works with Co-Ops nationwide. "She had known the people here for years," says Pat, "and said the Silver City Food Co-Op is great."

They're no longer idealistic hippies, but, says Wright employees continue to "nourish each other" and try to create a community. They're working on a continuing education program. Staffers have been subsidized for such programs as plant medicine in Stafford, AZ, and organizational skills in Albuquerque. Currently the Co-Op contributes a sum to full-time employees for medical expenses and health insurance has been mentioned as a future benefit.

Last year the New Mexico Organic Commodities Commission certified the Co-Op to sell organic produce, the first non-chain designation in New Mexico, says Co-Op manager Kathleen Wigley. Certification requires education and inspection procedures to preserve integrity of the organic process. As a contribution to the local community, Wigley says, the Co-Op helped pay for certification of local suppliers.

And, after much debate and discussion, the Co-Op now accepts credit and debit cards. Scanners are expected to arrive sometime in the next year.

"Labor-saving devices help to make the Co-Op more competitive with other groceries," says Mark Johns, president of the Board. Johns has seen the Co-Op grow, has even been part of the growth himself. A member since founding days, he has been on and off the Board since the early 1980s.

Today healthy eating has become mainstream and customers come from all parts of the community. The Co-Op even attracts new residents. "When I was manager," says Pamela Patrick, "I'd get calls from people wanting to move to Silver City. They wanted to know what we carried to see if they could get the foods they wanted."

Mainstream acceptance can be a mixed blessing, some old-timers say wistfully. Chain stores carry organic products. Silver City even boasts the organic Pet Food Annex. But they're confident in the Co-Op's ability to continue to play a unique role in the community.

And today the Co-Op shows continuity that, according to Johns, largely accounts for its success. Founders and early members still keep in touch, says Beth Menczer, and often continue to socialize.

Beth Menczer, who came to New Mexico to make art in Georgia O'Keefe country, has become a recognized clay artist. Other founders have created businesses that reflect Co-Op values. Bill Carlis, for instance, works with solar heating and cooler systems. Pamela Patrick recently opened a vegan café, reminiscent of the New Moon restaurant that was popular with many Co-Op members thirty years ago. Gary Clauss, a City Councillor, was motivated to run for office based on his involvement with the Co-Op. "But today," he says, "there's little crossover."

Co-Op annual membership costs five dollars, up from ten cents charged by the founders. Members receive six issues of the Garbanzo Gazette, with coupons and product information.

"We're bursting at the seams," says manager Katrina Wigley. A seven-year plan calls for expansion, although specifics have not yet been settled.

"To see it evolve through all the stages and knowing we're moving to the next stage ­that's exciting," says Ruth Gardner, secretary-treasurer of the Board. "We just purchased the building behind the Co-Op. Our growth will evolve as our needs evolve."

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