Move Over, Park Slope: Windsor Terrace May Get its Own Food Co-op

When news filtered through Windsor Terrace that the neighborhood's only supermarket would be shutting down, Jack O'Connell, along with several of his neighbors, had a spark of inspiration. 

"Eight or nine of us got together and said 'Maybe it's time to look into potentially starting a food co-op,'" he said. 

O'Connell, a Windsor Terrace resident since 1985, acknowledges that a co-op would hardly be a panacea for what has become the neighborhood's supermarket problem.

After all, the population hit hardest by Key Food's closing has been the area's seniors, many of whom would be unable to meet the rigorous volunteer demands—which include tasks like stocking shelves and ringing up customers—that co-op membership requires.  

But O'Connell doesn't see a supermarket and a co-op as mutually exclusive—after all, one problem Windsor Terrace does not have is an overabundance of fresh food options. 

"You can't look at this as being an alternative to Key Food," he said. "It’s really an entity on its own." 

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Windsor Terrace certainly wouldn't be the first neighborhood since Park Slope to successfully launch a food co-op: Flatbush, Bay Ridge, and Fort Greene-Clinton Hill all have versions in their communities. 

But if O'Connell's research has led him to one conclusion, it's that a co-op will not run itself. 

"It comes down to one basic fact: You have to have community support. You need people with the time and resources to commit to it," he said. 

O'Connell and his co-op cohorts have been holding information-gathering meetings since June. So far, he said around 75 people have expressed interest. 

But there's a big difference between "interest" and "commitment."

The first public meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Hall. O'Connell said if 30 people show up, he'll be happy. 

"We look at this as being a difficult endeavor, because it's long term," he said. 

"There’s been a lot of buzz, but buzz is cheap. It really comes down to how many people want to put in the time and resources." 

The first public meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Hall, located at 1511 10th Ave. Want to join the email list? Email Joconnell3@nyc.rr.com.