You Decide: A Food Co-op for Manayunk?

Manayunk and Roxborough residents will learn Wednesday night how serious they are about starting a local food cooperative.

With a meeting set for 7 p.m. at  on Freeland Avenue in Roxborough, the conversation officially starts with the community as a whole to see if a resident-owned grocery store is right for Manayunk and Roxborough.

Discussions for a Manayunk-Roxborough Food Co-op began in February when a business owner pitched the idea to the . Small talks began. Weavers Ways, which has two stores in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy, entered the discussion in an advisory role and has with interested people.

The first step, though, is establishing a meeting—Wednesday—for people to learn more and see if it's right for them.

Organizers chose the large meeting space in anticipation of 100 to 200 people. That number, Weavers Way President David Woo said, is needed for an idea like this to become a reality.

"We just want to find out if there's interest in either starting a cooperative or bringing a cooperative in," he said.

MDC Executive Director Jane Lipton has said —including location, name, structure, dues—everything.

"We're not sure what it would look like. Now, all we can say is, "Are you interested? Then show up at the meeting,'" Lipton said.

Several people involved in the local organization—like Lipton and acupuncturist David Schiman—already belong to Weavers Way. Its two stores are open to the general public. For members, each household pays a $400 equity investment, which is about $30 a year. Volunteering is no longer a membership requirement—but those who do volunteer, receive discounts.

Check out the Facebook page for more information on Wednesday's meeting.