By MIKE FERGUSON

Baker City Herald

Brick by brick, Baker Food Co-Op hopes to build itself a new home.

Northeastern Oregon’s sole health food cooperative long ago outgrew its modest 1,138-square-foot retail space, at 2610 10th St., a spot it’s occupied since 1994. Now it has an option to build on a vacant lot three blocks north, at the corner of 10th and H streets.

The task at hand is to raise $50,000 – one-tenth of what the cooperative figures it needs to build a new 6,000-square-foot store.

andquot;We’ve looked to rent another building, but nothing fits our needs,andquot; said Valerie Tachenko, president of the cooperative’s board of directors. The Resort Street building that formerly housed King’s variety store is too big, andquot;and we don’t want to expand faster than our capabilities,andquot; she said. andquot;We are only as good as our volunteers.andquot;

A lifetime membership at the Baker Food Co-Op is $25. Members who work 10 hours or more each month earn the maximum discount – 30 percent on their groceries.

andquot;We will be happy to get more of our members involvedandquot; in fundraising efforts, said store manager Carol Morrison.

Supporters among the cooperative’s approximately 4,000 members can purchase a $60 brick that will be used to help construct the hoped-for new store. Or they can lend the cooperative money and be paid back at a schedule and an interest rate of their choosing – from 0 to 8 percent.

andquot;If everybody bought a brick, that would be great,andquot; Morrison said. andquot;There’s no other place in town like this, but we’re going to need the support of more of our membersandquot; to build a store large enough to handle what’s expected to be a demand for high-quality, fresh food.

A spike in sales at the cooperative – in 2007, shoppers purchased 12 percent more organic and specialty foods and vitamins than they did the previous year underscores the need for constructing a new facility, Tachenko said.

andquot;We need room for people to push a cart down the aisle,andquot; she said. andquot;Right now,andquot; she added with a laugh, andquot;it’s a one-bun aisle.andquot;

Kidding aside, the cooperative prefers a single-story location that’s handicap-accessible and has adequate parking.

Sales topped $340,000 in 2007, and the board believes that number will grow this year as more people become interested in eating organic food that’s been grown nearby, Tachenko said.

andquot;People are realizing they need to take care of their own health, and not rely on doctors to give them a magic pill,andquot; she said.

A bigger store will mean more space for volunteers to put in their hours stocking shelves and waiting on customers. It’ll also mean more display space for dry goods, and more coolers.

The lack of room in the current building causes problems.

andquot;We constantly have to rotate stock, and sell something out before we can replace it with something else,andquot; Morrison said. andquot;It’s hard for our volunteers to work in cramped quarters. Most days, they’re working on top of each other.andquot;

The cooperative won a $6,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to study how to better market itself and whether a new location is feasible.

In September, Tachenko and board member Joanne Butler attended a workshop at the University of Wisconsin called andquot;Cooperation Works.andquot; The workshop focused on common challenges for food cooperatives, including capitalization and tax considerations.

andquot;It was a real honor for us to rub shoulders with people who are trying to do the same thing we are,andquot; Tachenko said. andquot;We are just about the only true cooperative in the Northwest because we’re run strictly on volunteer labor, except our store manager and volunteer coordinator.andquot;

Most cooperatives in the Northwest have about 90-percent paid staff, she said, but the Baker Food Co-Op doesn’t want to go that route.

andquot;We’re holding onto our concept,andquot; Tachenko said. andquot;We want to protect that, because it makes us unique.andquot;

This morning, a group of volunteers met the produce truck, which delivered a day later than usual because of the New Year’s holiday.

Those shoppers who didn’t stop by for produce today are probably too late, Tachenko said.

andquot;We have the freshest produce at the best prices in town,andquot; she said. andquot;On produce day, if you’re not there to meet the truck, you’re out of luck.andquot;

To purchase a brick, or learn more about the cooperative, stop by Monday through Friday 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. The telephone number is 523-6281.

Reporter Mike Ferguson can be reached at 523-3673 or mferguson@bakercityherald.com.