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The North Coast Co-op maintains a focus on educating our members. Join the North Coast Co-op Board of Directors in learning about other important issues regarding co-ops and the community at large during educational forums at future board meetings.

Our stores, employees and shoppers survived the great quake of 2010. During the excitement this weekend, you folks all performed admirably, calmly doing the things that needed to be done to keep everyone safe. Both stores suffered loss of product due to the 6.5 trembler that hit on Saturday. As the quake was centered off of Eureka, that store had a larger amount of damage. Also, the Eureka store lost power during the quake, which made clean-up efforts problematic, but a determined crew came in Sunday morning to get the job done. Arcata was able to open on time Sunday morning and Eureka was open around 10:45.

Thankfully there were no injuries and very limited damage to the stores. If you have not yet seen the footage from the Arcata camera, check it out on our website www.northcoastco-op.com. It is also posted on YouTube (7,200 viewings as of this morning) and CNN, shown on several Bay Area TV stations, on the Today Show, locally, etc.

I really want to thank all our workers for their efforts in cleaning up the stores. At both stores it was messy and dangerous work, and we appreciate getting things put back together quickly, efficiently and safely. In Eureka particularly there is still a lot of work getting damaged merchandise sorted, cleaned and back out on the shelves.

 How did the earthquake affect the Co-op financially? Unfortunately it will have a significant effect. We don’t yet have a total estimated loss but there were certainly thousands of dollars worth of merchandise that fell from shelves and were destroyed. The Eureka dairy cooler warmed up to a temperature level that required us to destroy virtually all of our dairy stock (probably about $15,000 at our cost). And we were closed for just about the equivalent of one full day (about 14 hours) between the two stores. While the loss is certainly significant, our sales have been strong the last few months and we will be able to handle the impact reasonably well.

 After an incident like this, it is helpful to look at processes and procedures that could be improved. Overall I think that things went well and everyone handled the situation well. The Management team discussed some ideas that might help, including:

• Reviewing and updating and improving emergency protocol books
• Updated telephone contact lists including managers and service providers
• Add items to emergency kits like “gas sniffers”, headlamps, rechargeable flashlights, transistor radios
• Secure pallet racks with bolts for shelves
• Training for all in emergency procedures
• Have plywood, 2×4, tarps and duct tape on hand in case of broken windows

If you have any ideas based upon your experience this weekend, please let us know and we’ll work on collecting ideas and implementing those that make sense.

 David Lippman, Co-op General Manager

We started by getting an assessment and design work on the Eureka store. As a result we have a master plan that we can implement piece by piece as seems prudent. The first several phases of that plan included opening up the area inside the main doors by relocating our customer service desk, also providing more seating near to the Deli. This allowed bigger and better displays of seasonal produce and special purchase sale items, making our “best deals” easier to find. In as far as sales are a barometer of member satisfaction, the changes have been a great success. Featured products in that area are generating thousands of dollars per month in additional sales and overall activity at the store has taken off. As expenses were kept to a minimum, payback on the investment will be a matter of about six months. And, better still, people seem to like it!

Next up for Eureka is a variation on the design plan, moving some refrigeration equipment around to make more room in front of the Deli counter. This will be a relatively small project in terms of labor and expense but will open up the most serious traffic bottleneck in the store. The high volume of shoppers at our Eureka deli, coupled with the tight quarters, makes it an uncomfortable part of the store, and we expect that it will be much more pleasant with the change. I’d expect to see that work being done in January.

We are also planning some significant changes at the Arcata store, some of which will be completed by the time this issue of Co-op News hits the stands. We have already removed the old juice bar that has been out of operation for seven or eight years, freeing up valuable floor space that can be used for extra value pallet buys just like those at the Eureka store. We’re still working on finishing up the space, but already it has improved the look and feel of the entrance.

Another change has been the addition of several windbreaks by the front doors. Wet and windy days regularly forced us to close the main doors of the Arcata store; with the new windbreaks that appears to be less of a problem. A canvas windbreak by the exit doors can also be put in place on those cold and windy days and helps keep the cashiers from getting frostbite. Neither system is perfect, but they seem to make for a significant improvement

A new end-aisle freezer unit will be added, increasing Arcata’s frozen foods capacity. This will specifically allow us to add a wider selection of gluten free products that we have not been able to bring in. We expect the new freezer unit to be installed in early December.

The end of December will bring big changes to the Arcata Deli, the department that is subject of more member comment than any other part of our Co-op. We will be moving around the layout, adding a service deli case, improved olive bar and soup selection. The past few months have seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of the food being prepared; now we’ll provide an improved presentation as well. At this time we expect that the Arcata Deli will be closed from the afternoon of Monday December 28^th through Wednesday December 30. We’ll be bringing in the New Year with a whole new look and feel for the Arcata Co-op Deli on Thursday December 31^st… so come celebrate with us!

With all of these changes, we still expect to spend far less on capital improvements than originally budgeted. We are addressing the areas of greatest need in the stores, doing much of the work with in-house staff to keep costs down and, so far, getting great response for member dollars invested. Please let us know what you think.

David Lippman

Co-op General Manager

Member #686

The North Coast Co-op is one of many other funders working to collectively address the needs in our community. Reach Out Humboldt is the result of an effort that strives to:

• Increase our region’s food security and make sure all our neighbors have enough to eat
•  Increase people’s ability to help their neighbors by facilitating connections
•  Give support to organizations that provide a safety net for those in need
•  Elevate people’s knowledge of the good things people are doing right now to create a stronger, more resilient community

The best part is that Reach Out Humboldt is helping people to help themselves and to connect with neighbors. Got something to give? Need something? Use http://www.reachouthumboldt.org/forum/6 to get connected!

At the North Coast Co-op, we know that our members like to share their ideas about everything from what to stock on the shelves to who to vote for in upcoming elections. This new blog is the place where members can share ideas on food and Co-op issues with each other. If you are looking for our website, go to http://www.northcoastco-op.com/. Happy blogging!