The Idea
The idea of starting a cooperatively owned grocery store in Bloomington-Normal began in December of 2011. Our first community meeting — a standing room only event — was held on March 27th, 2012, with over 100 people attending.
Green Top was incorporated
In August of 2012, Green Top was incorporated in the State of Illinois and began selling ownership shares later that month. Our kickoff event was ‘Picnic and a Movie’ at Connie Link Amphitheater, where we photographed Owner #1, and everyone who became an owner that night.
Early grant award
In September of 2012, Green Top was chosen above 31 other co-op start-ups to receive the highly competitive $10,000 Seed Grant from the Food Coop Initiative (FCI). This award demonstrated FCI’s faith in our ability to launch a successful co-op. These funds enabled us to hire our first employee, an Outreach Manager.
Additional Grants
Additional grants, both local and from the cooperative community, funded the cost of our incorporation and our first feasibility study (completed Feb. 2013). This feasibility study confirmed that Bloomington-Normal exceeded the criteria for starting and sustaining a successful cooperative grocery.
Our new home announced
We reached the 500 owner mark early in June of 2014 which kicked off our search for a store site. After much research and location analysis, on May 13, 2015 we publicly announced that Green Top’s new home would be at 921 E. Washington St., Bloomington.
Lawn-ch party
We gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking at our site at 921 Washington St., as part of The Foundry development.
Owner Loan Campaign
To fund our co-op, over the course of seven months 30+ volunteers led our capital campaign. Over 200 owners of our co-op loaned more than $1.3 million, setting a national record for the largest successful owner loan campaign to date. Our store is a reality because of their faith and commitment.
Ribbon Cutting
Our ribbon cutting was attended by hundreds of owners and community members, most bringing their own scissors to cooperatively cut the ribbon!
Serving our Community
Today, with over 2,500 owners we are a fully operational co-op grocery store! We are open to EVERYONE to shop, so please stop in any time to see how our dreams of servicing Bloomington/Normal with healthy, local food have come true.
