Doylestown Food Market Under New Ownership

The Doylestown Food Market is under new ownership, the business announced on Friday. The new owners have plans to move the store to a larger location with parking. The new location will be announced once the lease is finalized, the market said in an official statement posted to the store's website.

A privately-held corporation, A New Hope for Doylestown Inc. —owned by Paul Weinstein, Debbie Bernstein and John LaSala — purchased the store on Feb. 6. That means the market is no longer a cooperative, but a privately-owned business.

For now, the new owners will continue to trade under the Doylestown Food Market name and the business will continue as is at 29 W. State Street. The store staff and manager are staying, the announcement said.

Doylestown Cooperative Inc. was established as a member-owned cooperative with the mission of bringing locally grown and produced food items to the community. It opened in 2014, and while it had more than $1 million in sales over last four years, it never became profitable.

"The Market survived through fundraising, grants and a lot of volunteer time. Faced with flat sales and diminishing cash reserves, the Board voted in November to close the store by the end of 2017.

However, the next day, Board Secretary, Paul Weinstein, Paul’s wife, Debbie Bernstein, and Board President, John LaSala, approached the Board with a proposal to buy the assets of the Co-op, keep the store open, and continue the mission.

"Paul and John recused themselves from the Board and the Board nominated a Negotiating Committee to negotiate the terms of the sale. The negotiations were successful and the Members voted on January 30 to approve the sale," the announcement said.

While it is no longer a co-op, "the mission remains the same and the new owners are looking forward to being able to better serve their customers and the community."

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