This winter, as construction proceeded apace on the Brattleboro Food Co-op's new building - the first new commercial building in downtown to be built in many years - we knew that we would want to cover this milestone. We also knew that we would want to do so in a way that would not be an empty paean to one business in town or, worse, a thinly veiled excuse to capitalize on this significant development as a cynical excuse to sell newspaper advertising.
The result is this supplement, which celebrates the Brattleboro Food Co-op's formidable achievement in a larger context.
In celebrating the Year of the Co-op, we look at the cooperative business model in the region. At a time when much of our national and international news centers around issues of economic sustainability, at a time when the divisiveness of political discourse threatens to tear apart any notion of shared values and ideals, cooperatives provide a refreshing, unique, and cohesive - and, of course, sometimes awkward and downright contradictory - economic model that marries traditional, for-profit corporate structure with community ideals.
To that end, we hope that we've provided a snapshot of a vibrant, vital, and growing part of our regional economy. As always, we love further discussion in our pages. Send your thoughts to us at voices@commonsnews.org.