A New Co-op Store in Minneapolis

Seward Co-op in South Minneapolis has announced plans for a second store, located farther west and a bit south in the city, at 38th Street and Clinton Avenue. It's at the confluence of four neighborhoods and is considered to be what's called a food desert, so it should be a welcome addition. It's also on a main bus line and two blocks from an exit off of interstate 35W.

Once the store opens and the planned additional Lakewinds Co-op at 66th and Lyndale launches, the city of Minneapolis will be about as well-covered with food co-ops as any major city in the U.S.

The exception is North Minneapolis, which is also a food desert and home to some of the city's neighborhoods most in need of community ownership and healthy food.

There's a good effort underway to start a new co-op in North Minneapolis, and I wish them well, but it might be helpful for them to partner with an established co-op, the way Seward did with the Carrot Initiative in the Bancroft, Bryant, Central, and Powderhorn neighborhoods.

The Wedge Co-op seems like the perfect candidate to me, given its stability and proximity. I hope they get inspired by Seward Co-op's action and help bring the co-op model to a new part of the city.