GreenStar Natural Foods Market
GreenStar Natural Foods Market is a cooperative natural foods store market with 2 locations in Ithaca, NY. The stores feature a great selection of organic and natural foods with a strong emphasis on supporting local, sustainable agriculture as well as being strong contributors to the Ithaca community.
GreenStar’s origins go back several decades to the early 1970’s. Like many alternative enterprises of this time, GreenStar was influenced in the early years by the social and political influences of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The very early phases of the store began in 1971 when community members of Ithaca formed a buying club for those who wanted to obtain organic and natural foods. Members of the buying club organized into neighborhood regions and would place orders for fresh produce and grains once a week. This buying group came to be known as the Ithaca Real-Food Coop (IRFC).
Interest in the buying club grew pretty quickly and by the Autumn of 1971, the Co-op had 1,000 members from 15 regions (up from 3 originally). The club continued to grow and in the Spring of 1974, the Co-op moved into the basement of the Greater Ithaca Activities Center. Then the inevitable happened: a member who forgot to order pinto beans said, "Can I just buy some of the extra beans in that bag over there?" Within a month of when the Co-op began allowing members to purchase from inventory, pre-ordering of grains was discontinued and the "Grainstore" was born.
By 1976, the Grainstore had moved twice to larger facilities to accommodate continued growth. Sales were now more than those of the pre-order. In 1982, members elected the Grainstore Council to oversee the store's operations - the Co-op's first elected governing body. A few months later the Council proposed that the IRFC be divided into two separate corporations - the store and the pre-order. The new Co-op chose a new name, GreenStar. The IRFC continued but membership began to dwindle as people found fewer and fewer hours available to pre-order and divide food. Within a few years the parent organization quietly disappeared.
In March of 1983, the Co-op rented a larger, more visible space. The new store brought many welcome changes. More coolers made more perishable products available, including fresh produce, and gain bins replaced trash can dispensers. The Co-op's members responded enthusiastically as sales doubled within the first two years in the new space. Members joined into vigorous debates over many proposed product line expansions, including milk, corn chips, chocolate, coffee, and packaged groceries. The Co-op's staff grew to a collective of eight coordinators who shared management responsibility at equal rates of pay.
By 1992, the 2,400 square foot store was Incredibly busy and bursting at the seams. A tragic fire destroyed the store; but by May of 1992, GreenStar had found a new 9,600 square foot location. Today the Co-op has 2 stores in Ithaca - the GreenStar Oasis and the West End Store.