Dearest Cooperative Community of Deep Roots,

My heart is heavy at the ending of my role as GM of your Co-op but my spirit is grateful to have been a part of such a collectively active group of people making the world a better place. I am thrilled to still be working for co-ops and to still be in working support of Deep Roots Market, but my goodness will I miss the beautiful people who bring us the best of our community! I will miss YOU!

After all of these years and all of the challenges we have faced fighting to keep our Co-op strong, I still believe in the co-op magic. This is the miracle that happens at the last minute, the co-op hero who shows up and saves the day, the unexpected donation that floated us through a tough month, the new vendor showing up with a product you were just wishing for, and a staff member with a sudden change in availability just when we did not know how we would cover a shift. I could write a whole book about this subject and maybe one day I will. I have been a witness to amazing things happening here every day and I attribute it to the collective action of people serving and working hard together. Being at the front line of this important work will be missed, but I am thrilled to pass this wonderful opportunity along to the next cooperator!

In the meantime, I invite all of you to be a part of this magic by following the golden co-op rules- Show Up, Be Here, Be Honest, and Stay Curious. You will win when you follow these rules, we will all win together!

We have three very experienced and passionate managers who will be serving as an interim team while our amazing Board of Directors sets the stage for the next GM to be hired. The best part about this smooth transition is that in my new role with the National Co+op Grocers, I will be able to help and support them!

Thank you for 10-plus magical years of cooperation and great food. I will still be pushing the cooperative movement with my work and education and I will still see you in the aisles!

In solidarity,

Nicole Villano

Dearest Cooperative Community of Greensboro,

The time is right for changes and an abundance of patience! 

After seven months of waiting for the delivery of the front doors, we have been notified of (hopefully) the last delay. We were hoping they would get here this month but now the demo is slated for late November and doors are expected to arrive December 7th and hopefully will slip right into the new frames. We will begin with the removal of register one and then the rebuilding will begin. The plan is to do this in phases, so please be prepared for changes in traffic flow in and out of the store, possible noise, and confused people. Let’s all help each other get through it gracefully. I promise that this will be over soon and once the floor is redone and the tree reinstalled, we can all breathe a sigh of relief at having our Co-op back together again. Other changes being planned include a bathroom remodel with individual locking bathrooms. The issue as I understand it now is that all three would have to be handicap accessible and there isn’t enough room to make that happen. So we are rethinking how to do it. The waste center will get a facelift too. The plan is to be more user and earth-friendly with composting and proper recycling with a sink for handwashing and container rinsing. This is way more complicated than you would think it should be. Stayed tuned for more details to come.

I just got back from the Co-op Impact Conference in Washington DC. It is hosted by NCBA (The National Cooperative Business Association) and CLUSA International (The Cooperative League of the United States of America). It was my first time attending and I have come home so inspired by all of the great work going on in the co-op world from housing to healthcare to worker-owned cooperation. I was even given the last-minute opportunity to Hike the Hill and lobby for the cooperative movement with several Legislative Directors! The real co-op magic was happening as I was prepared for this because of a class that I am currently taking with Dr. Etsuko Kinefuchi, Environmental Advocacy, at UNCG. What an amazing gathering of genius cooperators worldwide and an amazing experience to advocate in person on Capitol Hill! 

No one knows everything, but together we know a lot!

See you in the aisles,

Nicole, GM

Dear Cooperative Community,

I wanted to take a few moments to touch base and let you all know what is going on with your precious beautiful Co-op.

Have you noticed that it is a little noisier in here than usual? It is also drier than normal. This is all due to the new dehumidification system installed last week by Kemco of Burlington. We have struggled with overly humid conditions in the store, especially in the summer months, for more than 10 years now. It has caused countless equipment issues, extra labor, and product loss. A big thank you to the landlords from North Eugene Partners for making this happen!

Kirkland Construction on the rebuild of the foyer will begin soon. It will start with Jim Gallucci’s team removing the bespoke Co-op Tree sculpture so the demo and reconstruction can start in late October. The new doors should arrive during that time. I suspect that entry into the Co-op will change a couple of times before we are all put back together. Please have patience and bear with us as we move through this challenging time.

Speaking of challenging times, since moving downtown in 2013, it seems like we have moved non-stop from one serious difficulty to the next. Remember the Greenway construction that seemed like it would never end? The best part about the challenges is that they make us better in so many different ways. Every city wishes that they had a Cooperative grocery store downtown on a Greenway that connects it to so many trails! We have moved through the worst of the challenges and we not only survived, but we are doing better than ever before. I just paid off another Owner Loan last week, our sales are at their highest to date, and it seems as if more and more people are learning about the importance of co-ops to the local economy and as a business model of sustainability. All of that coupled with Greensboro’s growth horizon, your Co-op is poised for great future success!

In order for us to get there without burning out our hardworking staff, we need more capital. We want to get all of the Owner Loans paid off as soon as possible, fill in the gap of funds from insurance for construction, do a bathroom remodel to have individual locking restrooms, create a new trash center with a sink to properly recycle and compost, and one day, expand the kitchen to offer more of what you love. We will launch a fundraiser as soon as I get the estimates for the work to set a goal.

The vision of a thriving bustling downtown Cooperative grocer is already in the works, and your Co-op will have so much more to offer you and our community. We will reach these goals and celebrate together!

See you in the aisles,
Nicole Villano, GM

Dearest Cooperative Community,

A big heartfelt thank you to everyone who has reached out with care and concern and offers for help. As devastating as this is, we are looking at the positive aspects of this situation. We had many people really show up for the Co-op to get us opened up so quickly and I am forever grateful - our Managers and Staff, the Board, the Landlords, and even the National Co-op showed up for us!

I know that you have lots of questions and ideas about the break-in situation. Please reach out to me directly at gm@deeprootsmarket.com

Here are some things that I would like to share so far:

• We are working on getting a better door that will automatically open. (Please help others in and out, and thank you to those who bring your carts back.)

• The Bitcoin machine was marketed to us to help the “unbanked” (people without bank accounts). We saw it as a service to our community. Once we realized how controversial it was, we requested that it be removed. We had been awaiting the removal for over 45 days when the break-in happened.

• We might be under construction well into 2024, but we have yet to determine how long it will take. The doors alone have a 6-8 month lead time.

• We want to take this unique opportunity to make a few changes to the front end to better serve the customers and the store's needs if we can. We have folks helping us with plans and construction that are very familiar with the original build of your facility. We also want to incorporate a bathroom remodel into this wonky time of inconvenience. The result will be 3 separate locking bathrooms and a supply closet. Also, we’d love new trash bins with a recycling/handwashing sink.

• We are working on getting the community room back up and running by the end of the month.

If anyone has any questions, ideas, or suggestions, please send them to me. Questions are very helpful in this process. We will be as transparent as we navigate yet another unprecedented grocery challenge.

We will be doing a fundraising campaign. In the meantime, if you want to donate, there are donation buttons at the register and on the website. Anything over $5 will be put into a particular account for the remodel. Yes, we filed insurance and assume more is needed to pay for everything, especially if we make some upgrades.

I will answer all emails, and I will send out updates as I have new information to share.

THANK YOU all for your care, concern, and positivity. We will be better than ever before!

Kind regards, Nicole Villano, your Co-op loving GM

Dear Cooperative Community,

This is absolutely my favorite time of the year! I love all the potential that spring brings. Thinking of warm sunny days, planting a garden, swimming, and vacations puts everyone in a more positive mood and we totally feel that in the store. It is amazing how much nicer people are on a sunny day!

We try to bring you the sunshine, even on the cold and cloudy days. We appreciate your kindness and understanding every day. Speaking of kindness, we have had several owner lenders forgive loans and interest on their loans to the Co-op! That act of cooperative kindness will allow us to pay more people back faster. I enjoy writing checks to pay Owners back! For those of you on the fence about this, please know that it has a huge impact on our financial status. As Owners, contributing capital is totally your business, as this is YOUR business. Plus, you automatically become my new favorite Co-op Owner. I thoroughly enjoy connecting with each of you.

I am thrilled to report the payback of two big owner loans recently. Those two opened the gates for eight smaller loans that I will be paying back over the next eight months! I am also super excited about this year’s Annual Owner Meeting. You will receive information about it starting March 20^th, so keep your eyes out and pencil in May 6th on your calendar. It will be so much more than a meeting this year. It will be a celebratory educational experience that we can continue to grow on for years to come.

I am continuing to work on my Sustainability and Environment Master’s degree (one class at a time). Every class I take, I am focused on how it can be superimposed on the Cooperative Movement. This semester’s class is focused on facility sustainability, which is perfect for envisioning a more sustainable co-op, and putting ideas together and a plan for how to make that happen. Of course, it will require capital, so getting these loans paid off is of the highest priority. If any of you have financial connections to help speed this along, please email me and let’s chat gm@deeprootsmarket.com.

One last big thing- Happy 10^th Anniversary in our Downtown location! We have come so far since I took on this role more than six years ago now. We have gone from extreme financial crisis to pandemic related emergencies to the highest sales we have ever seen now. Our management team is passionate and well-seasoned (with organic and fair trade spice, naturally) and a team of cooperators that care deeply about making the world a better place for all. I am so proud of all our teams, including the Co-op’s Board of Directors. I cannot wait to connect with the three new Board members that you will choose by vote in May.

Being “co-op busy” makes ten years seem like two. I am so excited to be a part of the Deep Roots team and community. I am thrilled to help push the greater Guilford community towards Sustainability and Cooperation. There are so many exciting things around the corner, especially those spring flowers and that sweet seasonal produce!

See you in the aisles,

Nicole Villano, GM