Harvest Co-op Considering Imminent Closure of South Street Store

Harvest Co-op Board Meeting
Monday, January 5, 2014
Public Comments Session from 6–7 p.m.
The Cooperative Artists Institute
311 Forest Hills Street, Jamaica Plain

With the lease on its South Street Store running out in February, the Board of Directors of the Harvest Co-op is holding its January meeting in Jamaica Plain. The meeting will feature an extended public comments session, giving South Street customers a chance to weigh-in on the possible closure of their store. Before going into executive session, the Board will fill-in customers on the state of lease-extension negotiations with the South Street landlord, Dean Rusk.

When the Harvest opened its store in Forest Hills, many in the South Street community feared this marked the beginning of the end of the South Street store. But until the annual members’ meeting of Fall 2013, the official Harvest position was that the South Street store would continue operating. At that meeting, however, members were informed that the lease on the South Street store would expire in February, 2015. Subsequently, members have been told that negotiations with Mr. Rusk on extending the lease have been difficult. Sticking points are thought to include the rent increase proposed by Mr. Rusk and the need for improvements to the South Street building infrastructure, but little information about the negotiations has been communicated to members.

According to Harvest Board minutes archived on the Harvest website (harvest.coop), the Board planned to create a members’ committee to “figure out the best approach to south street store due to the upcoming lease renewal”, but it seems this never happened. The Harvest has never carried out a formal assessment of the needs of the community served by its South Street store—a community including many people who visit the South Street store on foot.

The public comments session on January 5 is expected to be the last chance for South Street customers to have an influence on the South Street store’s future. Feedback may also be communicated to the Harvest by email:

• Board President: Lila Givens <lgivens@harvest.coop>
• General Manager: Mike St. Clair <mstclair@harvest.coop>