Weaver Street Market is a worker- and consumer-owned

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

selling natural and

organic food Organic food, also known as ecological or biological food, refers to foods and beverages produced using methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resou ...

with a focus on local and fair trade products. The original market is situated in the heart of

Carrboro, North Carolina Carrboro is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.

Carr Mill Mall Carr Mill Mall is a small, local shopping mall located in Carrboro, North Carolina. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Alberta Mill Complex. It is also a host for numerous local live performances and other cultural e ...

and plays host to many community events. It occupies a central location in the town of Carrboro and serves as a "community gathering place." Besides the original Carrboro location, Weaver Street Market has expanded into three additional locations in

Southern Village Southern Village is a New Urbanism neighborhood located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Established in 1994Southern Villageincludes 550 single-family homes, 375 townhomes and Condominium (living space), condominiums, 250 apartments, and of r ...

in Chapel Hill, historic downtown

Hillsborough, North Carolina The town of Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, North Carolina, United States, and is located along the Eno River. The population was 6,087 in 2010, but it grew rapidly to 9,660 by 2020. Its name was unofficially shortened to "Hi ...

, and at The Dillon in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

. Weaver Street Market previously operated a restaurant, Panzella, which features local food. In late December 2013, Panzanella officially ceased business operations.

History

The market was started with a loan from the town of Carrboro. During the course of 2006, some local residents expressed annoyance"Residents Still Angered by Signs"
/ref> at new rulesCarr Mill Malls Open Space policy
/ref> stating that all performances on the market lawn must have signed permission in advance from the owners of

. The lawn area consistently holds events and entertainment.Weaver Street events
/ref> In May 2007, plans were announced to open a third store in

and move the market's food preparation operations to Hillsborough for greater efficiency. Even though the plans were announced in May 2007, plans and employee feedback were included in the decision-making process since 2006. About 100 workers presented a petition in opposition to the plan outlining their concerns that WSM was growing too large. Plans have been made in other locales to copy the success of Weaver Street Market; one example is in

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about north of Miami. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded a population of 80,380. Boynton Beach is located in the Mi ...

References

External links

Weaver Street Market website

Companies based in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina Organic food retail organizations Supermarkets of the United States Cooperatives in the United States {{US-retail-company-stub