Quality, locally grown, natural produce is a hot commodity these days, but the grim selection available at most major supermarkets leaves shoppers pondering the definition of “organic.”
Luckily, the Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market is a one-stop-shop for an ecologically sustainable, community supported and personally health-conscious lifestyle. Local owners of this vegetarian food store have mastered the art of sustainably retailing fresh, natural goods, provided for the community, by the community.
“The People’s Market has everything a health-conscious person could want,” Devin Wood, vegetarian and San Diego State psychology senior, said. “It’s environmentally friendly, has awesome food from local farmers and it’s not a capitalist-driven establishment, so it really helps the community.”
The People’s Market is an organic food cooperative, meaning it is owned and operated by the same people who provide and / or use its goods and services. The community of activists pools resources to meet the common demand for natural goods and provides them with the goal of ecological and economic efficiency.
As a cooperative, the market is open to the public, but becoming an owner has multiple benefits. For a $15 annual investment, anyone can be an owner. Ownership saves members from paying a 10 percent surcharge on items purchased and gives people a voice in the decisions that govern the store. The community of owners is composed of anyone from health-food shoppers to the farmers who provide the market’s products.
In 1971, the co-op opened as a neighborhood buying club in an apartment storefront on Voltaire Street. Back then, customers added up their own purchases at check-out and perishables were stored in a standard home refrigerator. In 1973, the enterprise expanded to a new location up the street, and as its reputation grew, so did the demand for a larger facility.
What shoppers will now find at this market hardly resembles the quaint apartment storefront where it all began. In 2002, the owners designed and constructed a state-of-the-art, sustainable building, powered by solar energy and serving as a model of eco-conscious construction.
In addition to the local veggies, the co-op now offers a variety of dairy, grocery, bulk foods, herbs and vitamins while also selling homeopathics and cruelty-free, non-animal tested body care and aromatherapy products. The full service sit-down deli offers a cornucopia of organic, vegetarian and vegan cuisine, complemented with a fresh salad bar and friendly kitchen staff.
“The menu at the deli is one of those where you have to decide between 10 or 15 top choices,” Wood said. “It’s got sandwiches, salad, soups, even dessert, and it’s all made fresh to eat.”
Local musicians take the stage at the market’s deli-cafe on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings, enhancing the already cheerful ambiance with an assortment of folk, blues, jazz or bluegrass performances. Add this to a freshly prepared organic breakfast, lunch or dinner for a stimulating experience that will soothe both the body and mind.
On April 22, the co-op will be celebrating its favorite holiday of the year, Earth Day. The owners will be offering discounted prices on bulk food items, as well as discounts on those stainless steel water bottles everyone seems to be carrying around campus. Join the community of health and environmental activists on Earth Day to make new friends with a common passion and enter a raffle to win a new bicycle, compliments of the co-op.
