The City Center Market is turning 37 this week and the store is holding a birthday party to celebrate. From Jan. 29-31, the store will hold a sale and serve birthday cake, host a local musician and give out prizes.
The business began nearly four decades ago in the old school house in Grandy. A group of a dozen community members decided they needed a conveniently located store to buy organic and locally grown foods. The store was then named Mom’s Food Co-op.
Nine years ago, the store moved to Cambridge and changed its name to City Center Market.
General manager Gayle Cupit has worked at City Center Market for seven years.
“I believe in co-ops,” she said. “Cooperatives have a lot to offer to our community, to our grocery system (and) our system of selling and distributing food. I think we can offer a lot in that regard.”
Cupit believes co-ops support sustainability while taking care of the earth and its people by buying from local growers and farmers.
City Center Market will hold a three-day sale with more than 37 discounted items, including organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats and other all-natural items. Birthday cake will be served daily from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The drink of the month, Arctic Mint Mocha, will be on sale for $2 throughout the celebration. There will be daily drawings for cake from the deli, free chair massages from noon to 2 p.m. and a performance by local musician Kenny Krona on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We provide great food,” Cupit said. “A lot of it is organic, sustainability raised. It contributes to our community and to our earth. We contribute to our community every chance we get by making donations to various causes, by donating food to the food shelf (and) by having events here at the store that we think help enrich the community.”
The store held an Earth Day celebration last April and a tent sale featuring local food last August.
“When you shop at a locally owned business, (approximately) 60 percent of the proceeds stay in the community, where if you shop at a national retailer, only about 30-40 percent stays in the community,” Cupit said.
City Center Market not only supports local growers and farmers by buying their products but also purchases natural soaps, lotions, shampoos, lip balm and deodorant from local craftsman and independent business owners. Two of the store’s most popular items are the locally made honey and maple syrup that is kept in stock regularly.
After nearly four decades of providing the community with great, sustainable food, the cooperative has reason to celebrate.
“We’re one of the oldest co-ops in the state,” Cupit said. “We’ve had our struggles as a business in the past and we’ve always overcome them.”
Beginning in February, City Center Market is holding a We Love Our Owners drive. Anyone who becomes an owner during Feb. 1-14 will receive an extra $10 gift card to City Center Market, a free lunch at The Green Table and complimentary chocolates. Owners also receive discounts at the market.
For each new owner that joins during the drive, City Center Market will donate $10 to New Pathways.
“As a co-op we’re owned by anyone who purchases shares. We have about 2,600 owners,” Cupit said. “If we didn’t have our owners, we wouldn’t be able to be here. They make us happen, they make us strong. The more owners we can get, the stronger we’ll be as a business.”
The store aims to gain 60 new owners during the two-week drive.
Cupit said the store hopes to continue to grow and open a bigger store or second location in four to five years.
“We hope to grow the number of locally grown and made goods that we carry,” Cupit said.
City Center Market is located at 122 N. Buchanan St., Cambridge, and can be reached at 763-689-4640. For more information, visit www.citycentermarket.coop.