Under My Hat

Leadership Changes

Posted Mon, 06/01/2009 - 7:00am

—by Helen DuFault, General Manager

Living in Minnesota, where we experience changes all year long, means we are not surprised by change. It can be cooking hot one day and cold the next—all the more to not let us get too complacent.

Hampden Park Co-op also has had many changes this past year. We have moved into a larger space. We are about to buy a building. And the store will have a new General Manager some time in the coming months. I will be stepping down as the General Manager as of June 30, the end of the fiscal year. During the time of the search for a new manager, a managerial team (from current staff) will be in place for the daily operations of the store.

Under My Hat: April/May 2009

Posted Wed, 04/01/2009 - 7:00am

—by Helen DuFault

Our new space It has happened. We have our new space. Wow! It took a long time, but perhaps the wait has made us appreciate it more. We closed early on March 12 for the big move. We had over 30 volunteers work like beavers for the big transformation. We have several small transformations coming in the near future as we complete the inside work and do some building repairs.

Building purchase

As many of you know, we are in the process of buying our building. The closing date has been postponed a bit; probably it will be sometime in April. This is a big step for us.

Under My Hat (Feb/Mar 2009)

Posted Sun, 02/01/2009 - 8:00am

—by Helen DuFault

I hope you are keeping warm. As I write this, we are having below-zero daytime temps. The good news is, warmer weather is coming!

Co-op Expansion

As you have no doubt observed, we have had some delays with our project. Now we have a glitch regarding the air exchange unit that heats the air in the winter when we are using the hood in the kitchen. The installation was approved by the mechanical inspectors, but the structural building inspector said the unit needs extra support. Instead of being supported from the ceiling, it needs to be supported from the basement. As I write, this project is being planned and should be well on the way or even done by the time you read this. We are certainly getting anxious to get moved in!

Under my Hat, December 1, 2008

Posted Mon, 12/01/2008 - 5:25pm

—by Helen DuFault

We have had holiday #1— numbers 2,3, 4, and 5 are upcoming—wow! What a busy time of year. This year we will bring in some items that we hope will meet your holiday needs. We are selling baskets and bowls that you can use to create your own personalized gift. If you struggle with finding an idea, my suggestion is to think “theme” (e.g., Asian, beginning cook, chocolate lovers) and go from there.

By the way, I ordered extra turkeys at Thanksgiving, so if you’d like one for your December gathering, just ask.

Annual Meeting

Our annual meeting was held on November 9. We had a very wellattended meeting. We reached our quorum of 50 voting members; counting children, there were 77 people in attendance!

Under My Hat: October/November 2008

Posted Wed, 10/01/2008 - 7:00am

by Helen DuFault

Turkey Time

Can you believe it is time to think about turkeys? Yes, we will have the same Minnesota-grown free range birds as in the past years. A sign-up sheet will be in the entryway for you to state what size bird you prefer. We will keep the same schedule—the turkeys will arrive on the Monday before Thanksgiving. They will be available for pick up on Monday evening, and all day Tuesday and Wednesday. We keep regular hours the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Expansion

Progress is going forward on our addition next door. Depending on when you read this, we may already be in the new space!

Expect quite a bit of product changing locations. Shopping may be a bit confusing at first, but you’ll soon find where everything is, and you’ll enjoy having more space to move around. And we will have a third checkout counter and a full-time second cashier to make your shopping experience easier.

On the new side, a 20-foot cooler will hold cheese, sandwiches, salads, and drinks. Cookies, candy, crackers, chips, coffee, fresh bread, and hot soup will be among the goods moving into the new area. We will be putting in another 5-door freezer across from the current one. A few things will stay the same, including the bulk section and the dairy cooler.

Fall Crops

Under My Hat

Posted Fri, 08/01/2008 - 7:00am

—by Helen DuFault

Co-op Expansion

The exciting latest is that the co-op has signed a purchase agreement with the IOOF.

Work in the space next door is back on track after some inspection delays. We found out that we need to remove the old kitchen floor and replace it with quarry tile. We will also have a mainfloor bathroom; it's being roughed in as I write. The ceiling is also being painted.

When we're done, the aisles in our original space will be less crowded, which will be appreciated by all.

Local Produce

Under My Hat -- June/July 2008

Posted Sun, 06/01/2008 - 5:00am

—by Helen DuFault

Our new space

As you know, we have had an eventful past few weeks. We signed a lease with the IOOF for the vacated space next door. We have removed the old carpeting and tile in preparation for a new floor. The installation should be well underway by the time you read this.

The walls and ceiling have been cleaned in preparation for painting. We will also need lighting and ceiling fans.

I am getting bids for cheese and deli coolers. We plan on moving these two departments to the new space. The old deli cooler for the time being will become the nut cooler. Bread and cookies, coffee, chips, and cereals will also be moved to the new space.

Under my Hat - April, 2008

Posted Tue, 04/01/2008 - 5:00am

—by Helen DuFault

I expect the snow will be gone by the time you read this. We will all have a strong hankering to turn over the soil, trim perennials, plant early bulbs and seeds, and do all those other spring tasks. Once those are done, we can sit back and enjoy the early blooms of our efforts from last fall. The awakening of spring is wonderful. Our juices really start to flow again.

Plant Sale

As soon as the air begins to warm, people ask: “When are the early plants arriving?” We will have many perennials and cool-loving plants by the end of April (unless we get hit by a late storm, which has happened).

Have you tried...? February, 2008

Posted Fri, 02/01/2008 - 8:00am

—by Helen DuFault

It seems hardly possible, but spring is beckoning. The seed packets announce it. The bedding plant order has been placed; seedlings will arrive at the end of April. We are always looking forward!

Return of a Favorite

Often when an item is discontinued, it’s gone for good. But that's not the case with Curt’s Salsa. It's back in production, and we have it! The company was bought by Montero Distributing of Stillwater. Curt’s Salsa is one of the few local salsas available. Many of you have missed it, so we are glad to have it for you again.

December, 2007

Posted Sat, 12/01/2007 - 8:00am

Wow! Another year has come and gone. It seems 2007 really flew by. How many of you have thought that next year should be easier, and expect to have more free time? That hasn’t happened yet with me, either.

Annual Meeting

We had a very good Annual Meeting with over 60 people in attendance. We had the pleasure of two informative speakers. Renée Lepreau gave us an update on our neighborhood. She talked about light rail, park improvements, and traffic control. There are still a lot of unknowns on these topics, but work is progressing.

Matt Aamot, the marketing and delivery person for Wisconsin Growers, was our second speaker. He gave us a good presentation on growing vegetables. Wisconsin Growers is a group of small produce farms; Matt is the only non- Amish farmer in the group. He himself farms 40 acres using horse power, and is off the grid.

One of the statements that really jumped out at me was that less than half of what they grow is salable. People are reluctant to buy blemished produce, and Wisconsin Growers wants to sell only the best.

The group is also interested in doing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In this type of farming, a family pays the growers up front and in return gets a box of seasonal vegetables every week during the growing season.

They also share the risk of the unpredictablility of farming.