Re: Philosophical observations about Nelson
I read Maurice Rhodes’ letter with interest on Wednesday until he abruptly turned his attention to the Kootenay Co-op and suggested that with its new store “it will no longer be the co-op but a miniaturized real estate deal.”
These suggestions that somehow the co-op is about to lose its soul are not entirely new. Moving from the Slocan to Nelson (into what is now the Gericks building) and then to the current location across from the Bank of Montreal also called forth predictions of imminent demise.
What is puzzling in his efforts to assert that Nelson is a small town (“We are not big business”) he says that the real entrepreneurs of this world — Home Depot and Costco — are smart enough to stay away as we are obviously “amply served.” Of course the food business here in Nelson is dominated by the three wealthiest families in Canada — Pattisons, Sobeys and Westons and how dare the co-op think it has any right to lay claim to a larger share of their business?
Mr. Rhodes in dissecting the failure of so many local start-ups suggests that the co-op is among those who fail because of “the failure to do a good business case that would let the business live beyond that fatal two-year period.” I ask him how he thinks for one minute the co-op has been able to raise $27 million without a credible business plan.
Has he any idea the extent to which the banks, the key players and the investors have scrutinized our plans and run us through the ringer frontwards and backwards before giving us the green light? Hard to understand why Mr. Rhodes couldn’t see that the co-op (now in its 40th year) is bursting at the seams to the point that it can no longer meet the needs of its 12,000 members nor provide a safe working environment for its 90 staff.
Ten years after initiating its search for a permanent uptown site that could be purchased after years of renting was clearly the most important way to secure the long term viability of the co-op.
When the former Extra Foods site became available in 2012 we saw it as a critical property to keep “in the Nelson family” as it were and the co-op stepped forward and paid a significant price to secure the site. We heard there were talks to sell the upper portion of the property to Tim Hortons. To think that we might today have our very own Burger King on Baker St.
Sharing the cost of the land with local people who were ready to downsize and live downtown seemed like an appropriate way for the co-op to afford a state-of-the-art, energy efficient new store.
And on what grounds does Mr. Rhodes conclude that the co-op on account of its successful growth and scale “is not true to the original precepts of co-ops”? He might have a look at Vancity and Mountain Equipment Co-op — two of the most successful co-ops in BC who continue to set the standard for corporate social responsibility and the spirit of co-operation even as they have grown and prospered.
Russell Precious, Project manager, Nelson Commons