By Kate Crane

4TH STREET FOOD COOP

58 E. 4TH ST. (BETW. BOWERY & 2ND AVE.)

212-674-3623

THE 4TH STREET FOOD COOP hides behind an unassuming storefront between 2nd Ave. and the Bowery. Though most passersby probably mistake it for just another health food store, it is Manhattan's sole food cooperative, one of about 100 in the country.

Food coops tend to be health-food-oriented stores staffed by volunteers and run by members. "Coop," however, can mean a lot of things, with as many variations on look and feel, dues, discounts, volunteer-hour requirements and decision-making as there are coops. No two are the same.

The Park Slope Food Coop is members only. Nonmembers can't shop—they can't even walk in the door. That 31-year-old, 10,000-member coop, venerable and beloved by many, is famous for volunteers freaking out when unsuspecting nonmembers attempt to walk in off the street. But overzealous volunteers are a trifle next to the membership benefits of one of the largest coops in the country. These include a huge produce selection, cooking classes and discounts up to 40 percent.

The 4th St. Coop, also known as Good Harvest, is a different animal. For starters, it's open to the public. And with only 92 working members and a storefront the size of an average bodega (or what a Manhattan realtor might call a spacious one-bedroom), it's a lot smaller. 4th St., however, manages to pack a cornucopia of quality goods into the space. There's a respectable selection of packaged goods and fresh produce, often local, sometimes from the farmers at Union Square. An excellent bulk section boasts roughly 15 varieties of pasta, flour, grains and rice, clover and wildflower honey, split peas and 10 other varieties of beans, coffee, dried fruit and lots of nuts, nut butters and seeds. Olive and canola oils also come in bulk, as do cleaning products and nice-smelling shampoos and soaps, pet food, baking supplies and local tofu. The coop has a request list that the ordering committee takes seriously, and both members and nonmembers (who make up the bulk of the shoppers) can special-order items at a five percent discount, in many instances by the piece as well as in cases.

The Good Food Coop started on the same block in 1973, but closed in 1993 because of financial troubles. In 1995, 4th St. arose with Good Food's spirit. "The atmosphere is friendly—a number of customers say our store 'just has good vibes,'" according to Adam Piontek, a coop member who works for a nonprofit publisher of medical journals. "It's a place where people can stop and chat, and you just feel more connected to your food and your community, something often lacking from average New York apartment-dweller life."

The coop's location means that shoppers can meet most grocery needs at 4th St., and on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday head up to the Union Square Greenmarket for a dizzying selection of fresh, local produce. On Tuesdays, a smaller greenmarket (including a stellar apple orchard) convenes outside St. Mark's Church on 2nd Ave. at 10th St. Some 4th St. members supplement their coop purchases with CSA (community-supported agriculture) memberships, where a group works directly with a farmer, who makes weekly deliveries of freshly harvested vegetables, and sometimes fruit. I was a satisfied, well-fed member of the Williamsburg CSA (williamsburgCSA.org) for its first two years; farmer Mike Rogowski generally drives vegetables down from Orange County, NY, from June through November. Coops in Brooklyn consist of both the aforementioned Park Slope Food Coop (foodcoop.com), as well as one in Flatbush (flatbushfoodcoop.com).

4th St., which has been seeing a steady rise in members, offers a range of membership options. Nonworking members pay $35 a year in dues and receive a 10 percent discount. Working members pay $10 in dues the first year, and $25 in the years that follow. If a member works 4.5 hours a month, the discount is 15 percent; up that to 2.25 hours a week, and the discount is 25 percent. Students and members of other coops receive a discount of five percent.

With so many health food stores in NYC, and with most mainstream supermarkets stocking a selection of health-food items, where do coops fit in? The members I spoke to all expressed a desire to support sustainable agriculture and meet their food needs through a democratically run, socially responsible organization.

"Co-ops are full members of the community they inhabit," says Piontek. "The workers are also shoppers, with a deep interest and knowledge of the goods on the shelves."

According to a coop member who's been involved for decades, since the days of the Good Food Coop, "One thing that will always keep us different than the chains is that we are a membership organization. Each member can vote on and discuss food policies, and request the food that we buy… They can even get involved in ordering themselves. There are monthly meetings and discussions around what food to carry. Officers and board members are elected by the members and responsible to them. You can't do that at the supermarket." o