Weaver Street Market is a worker- and consumer-owned

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

selling natural and

organic food Organic food, ecological food or biological food are food and drinks produced by methods complying with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological ...

with a focus on local and fair trade products. The original market is situated in the heart of Carrboro, North Carolina in Carr Mill Mall and plays host to many community events. It occupies a central location in the town of Carrboro and serves as a "community gathering place." It had expanded to include a restaurant named Panzanella in Carr Mill Mall and two additional locations, one at

Southern Village Southern Village is a New Urbanism neighborhood located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Established in 1994, Southern Village includes 550 single-family homes, 375 townhomes and condominiums, 250 apartments, and of retail, office, and civ ...

in Chapel Hill and another in 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 "Hills ...

. In late December 2013, Panzanella officially ceased business operations. Weaver Street Market plans to open a fourth store in downtown Raleigh at the dillion in 2019. Construction is already under way and the store is set to open early Spring 2019.

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 Carr Mill Mall. 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.http://www.palmbeachpost.com/food/content/food_dining/epaper/2007/10/11/a2fn_tabletalk_1011.html

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