From the General Manager

Our Journey Has Covered a Thousand Miles

By Chris Maher, General Manager

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” While BriarPatch is only venturing several miles down Highway 49 to Auburn to open our second location, the journey began years ago and has involved countless hours of time towards making this process as thorough and successful as possible.

Although the actual decision to open the second store didn’t take place until about six years ago, one could say that as we cross the threshold to a multi-store co-op, the adventure began in the early days of BriarPatch’s existence back in 1976 on Loma Rica Drive. Looking back at the dedication of the sta and owners since then, the responsiveness of the Co-op's leadership to owners’ needs and requests all along the way, and the small step-by-step changes that appeared as the store transitioned and grew from location to location — all of it has made us what we are today. It’s part of our DNA, and the main ingredient for our future success.

“Growing to a second location can be seen simultaneously as a ‘luxury’ and a ‘necessity,’ and we have done everything we can to treat it as both.”

And, considering the team of people who’ve played a part in this journey and the work they’ve done, and the “miles” they’ve logged in contributing their expertise to the planning e ort while simultaneously enabling the Grass Valley store to continue operating successfully, it is safe to say that we've covered a thousand miles.

Since that decision to expand, we have taken countless calculated steps internally to make sure we are strong enough on the inside, systemically, to sustain ourselves as we grow. We’ve created organizational structures, practices and SOP’s that will capitalize on the strength of what has taken us this far in our evolution and grow our capacity to provide as seamless of an operational, and shopping, experience from the moment the doors open for the first time at the Rock Creek Center.

Growing to a second location can be seen simultaneously as a “luxury” and a “necessity,” and we have done everything we can to treat it as both. It’s a “luxury,” as not for one moment do we take for granted how fortunate we are to have the long-standing community support and resources to dream bigger and take concrete steps to bring that dream to fruition.

Expanding to an additional store is also a “necessity,” as the economies of scale of a second store will help us to stay competitive and financially viable. We will have stronger buying power and shared administrative costs, so we can bring better value to our shoppers. We will have the ability to reach out and support more farmers whose values align with ours in terms of providing quality food while treading lightly on the earth. Whatever it is that you like about BriarPatch, all the things that drew you to become an owner or shop with us, will now be available to more folks than before.