Feature

Field Trip To The Outpost

Have you ever visited a natural food co-op before? Are you curious about why we're so excited about ours? Have you wondered why we've been so successful securing Owners for our future co-op? 

While many folks travel 25 or more miles each week to shop at a co-op, a number of you have never experienced one before! So we've decided to rent a bus and host a field trip to The Outpost Natural Foods, a full-service grocery co-op with three locations in Milwaukee (and 16,000 Owners) that has been around--and thriving--for over 40 years. Mark your calendars and plan to join us the morning of Saturday, July 21. Come see what all the fuss is about!

Time of departure: 7:30 a.m.  (Departing and returning from same central location in Racine - to be announced). 

Tour & Shop: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. A private tour will be conducted by the store's Assistant Manager. 

Shuttle to South Shore Farmers Market: 10:00 a.m. The South Shore Farmers Market is a premier farmers market in the Milwaukee area with a whole host of events scheduled each Saturday.  

Board the Bus for Return to Racine: 12:00 p.m.

Return to Racine: By 1:00 p.m.

Cost: $10.50 per person - families welcome.  ($31.05 cap for families). To reserve a spot on the bus, you must pay via PayPal, using "info@wildrootmarket.com" as the recipient. 

Seats will be sold on a first come, first served basis. A minimum of 25 seats must be sold by Saturday, July 14, to prevent cancellation of the event.

The Outpost has been exceptionally generous in their support of our efforts. Having created successful community grocery stores in three very different neighborhoods in Milwaukee, they are a role model we plan to emulate. 

We thank you for your understanding and support as we work diligently toward decisions that will ensure Wild Root Market's long-term success. We're following a construct developed over the course of more than a century and are being guided by the best, most experienced experts in the industry. Join us on the 21st and you'll see for yourself why it is so worth the wait!

(Many, many thanks to Owner Carol Smolinski for her avid support in offering to organize the details of this trip!)

Other stories

More Opportunities to Become a Wild Root Market Ambassador

Wild Root Market is everywhere this summer! We've lined up events each week in our effort to spread the word about what we're doing and why it's important to purchase ownership now. In order to best prepare our Ambassadors (i.e., Wild Rooters) to speak on behalf of the co-op, we're offering two volunteer/speaker training dates:

       Tuesday, July 10 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

       Saturday, July 21 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Sign up here for either date. (You have to enter your email address twice but do not have to set up an account.) The more folks we can train, the more events we can attend. 

Saturday, July 14, is going to be a busy day: we'll be at the Downtown Farmer's Market, West Racine's Western Day and a new event in Kenosha called Be Well in 2012, dedicated to healthy living activities and promotions (and an excellent opportunity to reach out to prospective Owners at our neighbors to the south). So we need your help!

The word is getting out thanks to all of our Wild Rooters! Let's keep up the momentum. Visit the events page of our website regularly to see our whereabouts and sign up to help by clicking on any of the events. 

*We prefer you attend one of our training sessions before accepting a shift. Training is required before conducting a formal presentation on the co-op's behalf.

Experience Talking-A Word From Owner Carol Smolinski

In the early '80s, I used to volunteer at the little corner store of the “Chiwaukee Prairie Co-op”, right here in Racine. The space it occupied was a former drug store and soda fountain. I volunteered in each department and my favorite job was when I worked food prep alongside Vicky Wellens. She was an accomplished vegetarian chef, quite exemplary, and had a wonderfully quirky sense of humor which caused us to get along famously – it was a sheer joy to work with her.

If you're not familiar with the Chiwaukee Prairie Co-op, it was in the corner store at 338 Main Street where Design Partners now resides. That corner space has seen a lot of business diversity in its time.

I loved when it was my day (or days) to work – it was nice because I could bring my little son, Kyle, with me as they had a great play space for children to occupy themselves while their parents worked or shopped. Eventually, and unfortunately, the co-op dissolved. Many of us were quite sad, but I never gave up hope that one day we’d enjoy another co-op in our community. And now my dream is going to come true.

What has moved me most about this current grass roots project to once again establish a natural foods/natural living co-op grocery store in our area, is that just a short time ago a handful of thoughtful people began to discuss the possibility of the return of a co-op to Racine; because this core group cared enough about the community to give of their time and enthusiasm to pursue making Wild Root Market a welcome reality, it is continuing to grow.

What I took away from my experience at the “Wild Root Ambassador Training” session last month was far more than just facts, figures, and paperwork – the training gave me a basis, a starting point for learning how to effectively combine my passion for this co-operative with “spreading the word” about Wild Root Market so that others will truly realize the importance of it and the benefits for themselves and for the community as a whole.

I am deeply proud to be part of this beautiful project, and l look forward to the excitement of helping Wild Root Market grow, prosper and be a vital part of and voice in our community.

Common goals of like-minded, caring people can move mountains, and I’ll be right there in the fray together with all of you, bringing Wild Root Market to life for us and everyone who walks through its doors.

Back to top