Catonsville Group Hopes to Start Food Co-op

If you're a Catonsville-area resident who likes to buy local products but is tired of going to many different places to get them, you may be interested in a food co-op.

A Catonsville mom is interested in starting a food co-op with the purpose of having local products, food and items for purchase all in a retail store.

Shannon Thomas, who lives in Oakcrest, has started meeting with local residents who are interested and looking into products to bring to the co-op.

Thomas said that while she loves shopping at local farmers markets and getting direct delivery from local farms, a retail space would be even more convenient.

The advantage of having a co-op model will also allow for more community members to buy-in for the initial investment and then reap the rewards of the store's profit.

Thomas also likes the idea of the community that can form around a co-op and envisions a retail space with a hub of community activity.

"We felt that were there needed to be another food store here in Catonsville," she said. "Co-ops are a business but there isn't as much competition as with traditional business."

The group could start with ordering items online and then picking a place in Catonsville where people could pick up items. The eventual goal is still a retail location.

"It really depends on interest," Thomas said. "If we get a lot of people on board right away then it could go faster."

The general interest is on Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Catonsville Library.