FOOD & DRINK FEATURE
EMPLOYEES AT WEAVER STREET MARKET HAVE SHARES IN THE COMPANY, AS WELL. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOYD VISUALS
In recent years, Weaver Street has tried to shed its affluent image in favor of something more inclusive. In 2020, four Weaver Street employees formed the E.Q.U.I.T.Y. Alliance, a group attempting to address racism and diversity in the co-op’s wholesalers, products and employees. One project, the Game Changers program, is a move to bring in more products made by non-white sellers, which in 2020 made up less than 4% of the co-op’s total sales. Weaver Street also brought in a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant in July 2020 and strengthened partnerships with Black-led farming organizations like the Black Farmers Market and First Fruits Farm. Adjusting a historically white model to a historically Black neighborhood is a challenge. Jeffers believes that with careful consideration of the community’s needs, HWEP can meet it. “I would challenge [Weaver Street], especially knowing that they want to partner with a historically Black community that is hoping to practice economic equity for Black people, that they allow this Black community to have a little bit more say in everything – from what people get paid to what they put on the shelves.” It’s important to note that there is not yet any formal agreement between the official Weaver Street Market and HWEP, and the latter may simply aim to borrow ideas from the former.
Options and choices
Giving the West End a say is exactly what Gene Flavors is trying to do. Flavors, who is the director of this project, moved to west Charlotte five years ago to live in the neighborhood where his wife grew up.
to improve so people can get there,” he said. “If it’s something they can’t get to, then providing it doesn’t mean a whole lot.” I asked Adams about how she planned to ensure a grocery store like this would remain affordable. “I have to say: When we talk about affordability, we talk about people that have income challenges. Even in that situation we all treat ourselves at one time or another with something, and I assure you that electronics and grooming experiences cost more than $75,” she said. “So again, we’re back to life choices. You can save money and buy processed food at Walmart and make sure that you have additional money for electronics or clothing or grooming products, or you can decide that you wanna eat healthy and live longer. We all are making decisions. I am going to hold us all accountable for the choices we all make.” As the HWEP sees it, Weaver Street Market is the community’s best option, one that organizers believe has the potential to reshape and restabilize the community. But in order for that to happen, it must serve the community as a whole. NMATHER@QCNERVE.COM
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The co-op grocery store model came about partly as a resistance to that trend. Farmers, food sellers and customers alike grew dissatisfied with the control that big supermarkets exercised over their livelihoods and choices. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, several co-op grocery stores sprouted up throughout North Carolina, including Greensboro’s Deep Roots in 1976 and Asheville’s French Broad Food in 1975. “As members, they maintained the building where their groceries were, they negotiated with wholesalers so that they could provide more funds for the community. In many of the original co-ops, people that shopped there also worked there,” Jeffers said. “Of course, this is different now.” Weaver Street’s co-op membership, which comes with a one-time payment of $75, still ensures the right to vote in board elections and run for board seats. But aside from some free swag and a owners-only weekly deal (at the time of writing, it’s 20% off soup!), the current benefits are a far cry from how it once was. “Now there has become a sort of industrial complex around some of these entities because now they have purchasing power,” Jeffers explained. “They have multiple locations. The kind of folks who are able to sustain this still have a degree of privilege and wealth.” But Jeffers doesn’t think that necessarily discounts HWEP’s efforts. “What’s great is that West End Partners is attempting to have community conversations about what this means. What I do hope West End Partners does is put a class and ability lens on this and see it’s not enough to just bring in this entity that’s known for co-ops of mostly white members in mostly white neighborhoods.”
“We got involved in the community … but there were some things that we felt like the community needed,” he said. “The number one thing anyone will say to you is, ‘Man, we don’t have a grocery store.’” Adams and Flavors are trying to gauge how to make the Weaver Street model work for the west side. Their work starts with community conversations — Zoom meetings, group sessions, and so on — to get feedback and answer questions about this project’s potential. Currently, HWEP is planning a series of outreach efforts to see what community members would like out of this process. The research will not only impact where the store will be located but what the prices and inventory might look like. Affordability is a crucial part of the project. Weaver Street accepts SNAP and EBT – it’s even possible to purchase a membership using food stamps. But there still remain major barriers to accessibility. Flavors points out that transportation may play a role in that. “Affordability is important, but so is the ability to get [to the co-op.] The transportation, the trolley, the buses, walkability — we want all that
