Help us become Hardwick’s Market of Choice. Let’s grow together!
Buffalo Mtn Food Co-op has been serving the Hardwick area since 1975. Now is the time to move and grow!
The Buffalo Mountain Co-op is working to buy the Hardwick Village Market property and move our beloved co-op around the corner to a larger, more functional space. The Capital Campaign funds raised will help finance the renovations, help the Co-op lower its higher interest bank loans, and keep our community’s dollars invested locally.
BMFC has a strong history in the village of Hardwick. Originally founded as a buying club, the Co-op first opened a physical store in 1975 on Wolcott Street. After several years it outgrew that space and moved to the Jeudevine Mansion on North Main Street, renting a section of the main floor and barn space. The Co-op’s continued growth resulted in yet another move, this time to our current storefront on Main Street. Now, after 30 years in this location, it’s time transplant again to a larger space.
Why move?
The Hardwick Village Market is a well-established grocery store in downtown Hardwick. The owners have been trying to sell for a few years, and while the Co-op made a previous purchase offer, this recent offer is moving forward, in-part because we now have a General Manager to help spearhead the effort, we have a feasibility study showing the move’s viability, and the need to improve operational efficiencies to help the Co-op grow continues. The numbers and timeframe lined up nicely, so we put the final decision of relocating the co-op in the hands of our member-owners in October 2021. They voted a resounding ‘Yes!’ for the move because:
- Moving will support our local economy by increasing sales from local farmers, bakers, food producers, and artisans, providing more sustainable jobs, and by hiring local contractors for renovation projects
- Village residents will continue to have access to a full grocery store within walking distance of their homes
- Improved accessibility for all: automatic doors, wide aisles, and a restroom on the main floor
- Three times the retail space of our current location for a greater variety of products and more local options
- Merging inventory with the Hardwick Village Market will ensure current Market customers enjoy the same top-selling food selection they love, plus more, with the same downtown walkability that makes our downtown thrive
- Lower prices through increased volume purchasing
- Improved parking and off-street delivery space
- Healthier working conditions and improved staff benefits
- Outdoor seating and open-air market space
- Access from the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail for visitors and recreators
- We can become a One-Stop-Shop for our community to gather and build strong bonds!
These are all fantastic reasons to invest in our co-op. Hardwick is growing and so is BMFC! Investing in the Co-op today is investing in our friends and neighbors, local businesses and local workers, and our community as a whole.
Community Loan Information
Want to learn more? Click “Yes!” below or email CapitalCampaign@bmfc.coop today!
Loan Terms available: 13 years (matures 12/31/2035) & 16 Years (matures 12/31/2038)
If you want to donate instead of invest, you can! The Co-op is accepting tax-deductible donations through our 501(c)3 non-profit Fiscal Sponsor, the Cooperative Development Institute. Their mission is to support and foster the cooperative economy throughout the Northeast. Please mail your donation to support the Buffalo Mountain Co-op’s move to:
Cooperative Development Institute PO Box 1051 Northampton MA 01061-1051
- Make checks payable to “Cooperative Development Institute” or “CDI”
- Include “Buffalo Mtn Co-op Expansion” in the memo, to ensure it gets to us!
- All donations are tax deductible, and you will be mailed a receipt/ letter/ thank you from CDI, and a follow-up thank you from the Buffalo Mtn Co-op.
Campaign Events!
Join us Thursday March 17th at 5 pm for a Virtual Campaign Celebration and Move Update with Lydia & Emily Click here to join via Zoom or watch the recording later at your convenience
Let’s celebrate! We’ve raised $650,000 with 125 local loans and donations received so far; 20 volunteers have helped; and the Co-op’s Capital Campaign has been so successful, we are able to borrow less from the banks, save money, and pay interest to our local community lenders instead! Together we can share a big hurrah together. Join us as we thank everyone who has made this Campaign a success and preview what’s next, and hear Emily discuss what’s ahead for the Co-op with the renovations and move as we become the Buffalo Mountain Market. Join us!
We look forward to planning a wonderful celebration of the Campaign’s success and the Move with a Grand Opening later this year. We truly have so much to celebrate, and want to do so in-person, outside, with EVERYONE invited: campaign volunteers, investors, donors, member-owners, and community members! Stay tuned!
Additional Information & Resources:
- Print the Loan documents to make your loan after fully reading the Co-op’s Offering Memorandum
- Explore the Offering Memorandum & Investor Packet to better understand investing in the Buffalo Mountain Co-op
- Check out the Capital Campaign Brochure to see what this move is all about and how you can help
- Dive into the Co-op’s Financial Reports summarizing the last three years and cash flow projections
- What? Where? When? Why? How? Check out these Campaign Frequently Asked Questions
- The BMFC Board has given this a lot of thought. Learn more about the Board Considerations
- Read Community and Member-Owner comments about the move in the Fall 2021 Bullsheet Newsletter
- Watch the September 19th and September 27th Community Forum discussions about the move
- Review the March 2021 Market Feasibility Study about the move
- Want to join the co-op employee team and help this dream become a reality? Check out our employment page
Email Lydia Parker, Campaign Coordinator, at CapitalCampaign@BuffaloMountainCoop.org for more information