The Isla Vista Food Co-op sent out an SOS on May 6, asking for donations to make up an impending $50,000 shortfall in mid-May. The community-owned grocery store has operated in I.V. since the 1970s and recently took over the Cantwell’s Market & Deli space at State and Arrellaga streets. Both markets are open to all customers — and Co-op members enjoy discounts — providing farm-fresh produce and both organic and non-organic products on the shelves.
Co-op Board President Lisa Oglesby explained that they had never really recovered from the pandemic, their I.V. sales were half of what they had been, and, like so many businesses, they faced increased utility, insurance, and product costs. “The board had been seeing declining sales,” she said, “but we didn’t really understand where the cliff was until recently.”
Though the market in Santa Barbara is growing, it hasn’t been enough to keep up with the decline in Isla Vista, Oglesby said. Opening in S.B. kept a walkable grocery store in the neighborhood, a co-op that could be responsive to the community. “Anyone can come find something healthy and affordable that’s at their price point,” she said. The Co-op is fundraising to hold on to the stores and their 28 employees, with the $50,000 goal to cover immediate expenses and debt payments, and a second goal of $500,000 to set the Co-op back on its feet by the end of the year. Simply shopping the markets is one way to support them, but fiscal sponsor Cooperative Development Fund welcomes tax-deductible donations on the Co-op’s behalf, a GoFundMe page has been set up, and becoming a lifetime owner in the Co-op goes for $150.
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