starting a cooperative
Many participants at the 38th and Chicago workshops expressed interest in exploring the role that cooperative businesses can have in helping to improve the project area. A feeling expressed by many was that the project area needed to become a “people’s empowerment zone”, and that a community-owned enterprise would be one way of working towards that goal. Some specific cooperative business ideas included a food cooperative, an artists’ co-op, or a cooperative business incubator in the area.
Here you can find some resources that can help us move towards making these ideas a reality.
What is a cooperative?
Cooperatives work on the principle that by working together peeople are able to accomplish much more than if they worked alone.
A cooperative, or co-op, is a way of organizing a business so that it is owned by the members that use it or run it. It is a way in which community-based businesses have traditionally organized because it ensures that whatever profits are generated remain with the customers and workers of the business rather than being sent off to shareholders who might live in another city altogether.
Types of cooperatives
There are many more cooperatives around us that people realize: credit unions, for example are a type of cooperative, as are some agricultural associations and even taxi companies.
The type of cooperative that most people are familiar with is a food cooperative. Typically, these are small community-based grocery stores that have as their goal increasing access to wholesome, healthy food at affordable prices for people living in and around that community.
Mercado Central, at Bloomington and Lake, is a cooperative business incubator that has helped immigrant entrepreneurs succeed.
Another type of cooperative, the business incubator, allows aspiring entrpreneurs to pool their resources and share in the expenses that are required for starting their businesses.
Cooperative links and resources
- from Coop Grocers' Network: how to start a food co-op
- from Cooperative Life: starting a cooperative
- Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund
- Cooperative business resources
- from New Internationalist: Co-operatives issue
Local food cooperatives
Small Area / Corridor Framework Plan
- (The FINAL DRAFT was delivered to the City on 11.09.07. The City began its official review period on November 15 2007, and will accept comments until December 31 2007. The links below will take you to the official City of Minneapolis Plan page)
- Draft Plan >
- Comment on the draft >
Community Development Plan
- (Visioning work completed in March 2006)
- Download complete document (5.7Mb pdf)
- Public Comments and Workshops
- for Small Area Plan:
- August 21 2006 Small Area Plan Kick-Off
- from earlier phases of this Plan:
- from Phase 2: January 31 2005
- from Phase 1: January 28 2004 kick-off