Photo via Riverwest Co-Op - riverwestcoop.org
Riverwest Co-Op
Riverwest Co-Op
The Riverwest neighborhood is known for its spirit of camaraderie and coming together to get things done despite obstacles, and the neighborhood’s namesake co-op grocery store and café mirrors that perseverance.
The Riverwest Co-Op & Café (733 E. Clarke St.), which opened in 2001 (a vegetarian and vegan café was added in 2004), was on the verge of closing during the summer of 2022. Highly profitable years in 2015 and 2016 provided a small financial safety net and funds to reinvest in the store. The co-op grew a pool nearly 100 volunteers.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic came along, lobbing unforeseen obstacles at anyone and everyone.
Thanks to money secured over the past year through grassroots fundraisers and grants, along with a can-do attitude among co-op staff, board members and volunteers, Riverwest Co-Op & Café will celebrate its 23rd birthday in November.
Wendy Mesich, an event specialist and volunteer coordinator with Riverwest Co-Op & Café who also serves on the board of directors, says the grants will not only allow the co-op to keep its doors open, but also allow them to make infrastructure improvements, hire additional staff and add hours.
Growing a Co-Op Grocery Store
Riverwest Co-Op’s roots go back to the late ‘90s as the Riverwest Workers Co-Op, formed by multiple families in the neighborhood that started a buying club. They, along with other residents that wanted to breathe new life into the area, held meetings about forming a neighborhood association. They met with city officials about the kind of development they’d like to see.
Those efforts led to a neighborhood association, the Riverwest Currentsneighborhood newspaper, a short-lived credit union, and eventually, the co-op.
“We met in a Polish flat on the 2300 block of Fratney for a year and a half, writing bylaws, selling co-op memberships, doing fundraisers and looking for a building,” recalls Mesich.
When the former Schlitz Tied House on Fratney and Clarke went on the market, Mesich says two board members were in a financial position to purchase it for the co-op.
Volunteer sweat equity helped build out the space, add shelving and stock product. Mesich was among the first volunteers and was the first volunteer coordinator. Mesich also credits co-founder and volunteer Shelly McClone (who went on to co-form Lion’s Tooth bookstore in Bay View) with growing the volunteer base and expanding hours.
Until COVID, the co-op was primarily run by part-time volunteers that filled various rolls. “It was done well. There were a lot of great ideas, a lot of energy and a lot of learning,” enthuses Mesich.
Overcoming COVID and Forging Ahead
Although grocery stores were considered essential businesses during the COVID-19 shutdowns, social distancing requirements throughout a year-plus of pandemic restrictions made it challenging to shop in intimate spaces like Riverwest Co-Op & Café. Like many small businesses during that time, the co-op also experienced high staff turnover.
A dedicated customer base, along with modest savings and a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan kept the co-op above water. But in July 2022, the Riverwest Cooperative Café closed until further notice. Soon after, the grocery arm sent out distress signals.
Fundraisers such as a Spaghetti Dinner at neighboring Falcon Bowl, and a GoFundMe effort, helped generate more than $34,000. The co-op also hosted fundraising pop-up events. In May 2024, they secured a $150,000 Impact Investment Loan from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
Riverwest Co-Op board secretary JJ Burch says that securing new funds will help them hire for more positions; make necessary upgrades to equipment, lighting, shelving; buy new produce coolers; and importantly, make newer Riverwest residents aware that the co-op exists. They also hope to add more outdoor seating, boost advertising and social media presence, and add educational events.
Since grocery co-ops rely on partnerships with local farmers and food producers, Mesich says they hope to rebuild relationships that had drifted during COVID restrictions. “Because we had a lot of staff changeover during COVID, some of those (vendor) relationships are very people driven. We’re building back up relationships with individual farms.”
Riverwest Co-Op & Café recently received its first load of apples from Weston’s Antique Apple Orchards, in New Berlin. The orchard grows 100 different apple varieties. “We get a bushel of each kind in, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. There’s always something new here,” relates Mesich.
The co-op also carries eggs from Yuppie Hill, in Burlington; Lush popcorn, which launched their gourmet popcorn line at Sherman Phoenix and now has a presence in the Riverwest neighborhood; Soul Brew kombucha; ice cream from local vendors Purple Door, and Scratch Ice Cream; and fermented products from Zymbiotics, in Milwaukee, and Fizzeology, in Viroqua, Wis.
Mesich notes Riverwest Co-Op is one of the few wholesale accounts for Rocket Baby bakery. Customers can also find collard greens grown at Walnut Way, and herbs and produce grown by Montana Morris, who has greenhouses three blocks from the co-op. “And most of our cheese is from Wisconsin, because of course!” Mesich laughs.
Popular Vegetarian and Vegan Café Returns
Shannon Garcia Martinez is the café operations coordinator for the Riverwest Cooperative Café. She had volunteered at the co-op and stepped into her current role in April 2021. She said she was aware of long-time budget constraints that came to a head in 2022, and she saw grab-and-go options to breathe new life into café operations.
“The grab-and-go has worked well,” she says. Hot or cold grab-and-go wraps and sandwiches are available weekdays. The café, which has always been vegan and vegetarian, offers brunch service from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner service each Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. Garcia Martinez says they will expand hours this fall as they hire additional staff and finalize menus.
The Riverwest Cooperative Café was a pioneer in all-vegetarian and vegan food, notes Garcia Martinez. “Bombay Sweets at the time was the only all-vegetarian option in Milwaukee. Vegetarian and vegan was very much asked for and needed in the city.”
Having a strictly vegetarian and vegan kitchen also simplified things for the all-volunteer staff, as they didn’t have to worry about cross-contamination in the kitchen.
Keeping It Going
Lifetime membership at Riverwest Co-Op & Café costs $20 per year over six years, for a total of $120, which includes voting power at annual meetings and ability to run for the board of directors. Co-Op members can take advantage of weekly discount days.
Several volunteer opportunities exist for people of all skillsets. Volunteering for 12 hours a month in the store or on committees earns a 10% discount on groceries.
“There are lots of ways to get involved,” affirms Burch. “No matter your skillset, we can find a way to utilize that at the co-op.”
Mesich leads standing walk-in volunteer orientations every Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.
“When you come to our co-op, you’ll meet a diverse group of people. Our volunteers that are willing to work for this mission exemplifies the Riverwest ethos of coming together for each other,” concludes Burch.
For more information about Riverwest Co-Op & Café, upcoming events, becoming a member or volunteering, visit riverwestcoop.org.
