I’ve always had a soft spot for small towns with streets lined with mom and pop shops, novelty stores and quaint little bakeries. I grew up visiting boroughs like Media and West Chester and have fond memories of freshly baked croissants and little Irish knickknacks that would adorn my dresser as a little girl. Now, the older I get, the more I’ve come to appreciate these smaller communities and the efforts that go into keeping them in tip-top shape. It takes a certain kind of willingness to keep these small towns alive and well when so much orbits around the corporate world. One piece of that small-town puzzle is making some big strides to ensure that the Chestnut Hill community will continue to thrive down the road.
My mission was to find out more about Weavers Way Co-op—how it differs from your average grocery store, what they’re doing within Chestnut Hill to better the community and how locals could benefit from joining their growing membership. I sat down with Dean Stefano and Rebecca Torpie, the Store Manager and Marketing Director, respectively, and got so much more than I anticipated. I knew this would be insightful and educational, but what I wasn’t aware of was just how much fun they have at Weavers Way on the regular.
Chestnut Hill Dish: Can you help us define a co-op?
Dean Stefano: It’s basically a member-owned business. Most of the shoppers here are members—not all, but most. The profits go back to the staff, who we pay a living wage. We give back to the community, we get involved in the community events. We have a separate entity called Weavers Way Community Programs where we teach children about agriculture. A big portion of the profits also go back to the members. If we’re profitable at the end of the year, our members receive what we call a Patronage Rebate. Members get back a portion of what they’ve spent. This year, we gave back over $300,000 in Patronage Rebates.
How does Weavers Way support the local community?
Dean: To date, we have brought over 200 local vendors into our store. A lot of them have done extremely well. We started out with Merrymead. They had to go out and buy more cows to keep up with our demand. We also do a lot of fundraising. We give a portion of our proceeds to Friends of the Wissahickon and Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels. We’re also involved with anything that goes on in the community. We also try to bring in a lot of products with a cause. Whether they be organic, natural, sustainable … companies that also give back are a cause that we can get behind.
How long has Weavers Way been in Chestnut Hill?
Dean: I actually helped open the store back in April of 2010 as the Assistant Manager, so five years ago. And then I was promoted to the store manager about two and a half years ago. We are planning a five-year extravaganza coming up.
Rebecca: It will probably be the week of May 2–9. We’re going to kick it off with the Home & Garden Festival and we’re going to do something for Cinco de Mayo. We’re just going to blow it out that week. It’s still in the works, but stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. But we’ll definitely be celebrating. Partying, discounts of sorts. Something along those lines.
Dean: You know, we’re trying to tie in the whole five thing. Five years, May, Cinco de Mayo. Rebecca will come up with something. She’s very creative like that.
How does one make the jump from customer to member at Weavers Way?
Dean: Basically, you just fill out a form and you have to pay a $30 equity fee. You continue to pay that until you have $400 in equity and at that point, you no longer have to pay the equity fee. If you decide to leave the co-op, say, you’re going to move to Chicago or wherever, and you’ve been here for three years, and you have $90 in equity already established, you simply ask for your equity to be returned to you.
What kind of benefits can members anticipate once joining a co-op?
Dean: Well, you can run for the board, you can vote for the board. There are member specials that we run through NCGA (National Co-op Grocers Association). We have Weavers Way branded products that you receive 5% off. Home-delivery services are available. You get to hang out with Rebecca and I (laughter ensues).
Rebecca: Food For All. That’s a low-income discount for families that are eligible for social benefits. Were also looking at unveiling a senior discount very soon. And basically we’re working on ways that we can differentiate ourselves from the Fresh Market that’s opening down the street; set ourselves apart.
Dean: Members here also have member benefits at our Mt. Airy location. One big happy family.
Would you say you know your members well?
Rebecca: Yes, definitely. There’s definitely a community of members. It’s like a social hub here.
Dean: And not to complicate things, but there’s two types of members. Before Chestnut Hill opened, you had to be a working member. That’s where all of the household members over the age of 16 would work six hours a year. And that would get them an additional 5% off. Now, you can be a non-working member, still receive the benefits we discussed with the exception of the extra 5% off. And we are looking at some other member benefits.
How do you spread the word about Weavers Way to increase membership?
Rebecca: Well, we have a monthly newspaper, sent out to 10,000 people and locations. It’s called The Shuttle and it’s anywhere from 24–32 pages a month of local news, events, things related to the co-op and the Chestnut Hill community. We’re pretty heavy on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We have a lot of community events, a very full social calendar. There’s always something going on. And then there’s just a lot of word of mouth. Our members are happy here. They like to get together here, talk about what’s going on here. So in that sense, it’s an organic means of communication, too.
Dean: When Weavers Way opened, it had 3,500 members. Now it has about 5,200 members—well, households, one membership per household.
Can you tell me about your other locations?
Dean: Well, we have another main store in Mt. Airy. That particular location had a remodel in 2012. Stores are quite a bit different but pricing is the same throughout. They have one of the best bulk sections in the region. When we do bi-yearly surveys, that was one of the areas that the members wanted to see more of. So, they expanded bulk in Mt. Airy. The second floor used to hold vitamins, supplements and body care and general merchandise. So, they moved that over to a new location across the way, which is exactly what they called it: Weavers Way Across the Way. And now they house pet supplies across the way. And they’re doing really well. So, it’s two locations, one store. Here, we had a very small section of vitamins, supplements and body care. We decided to expand, and we moved next door. And we called it…
Rebecca: Weavers Way Next Door!
Dean: I’m a big advocate. Ready? Lotions, Notions and Potions (more laughter breaks out, myself included). I torture Rebecca with this stuff all the time. No, but seriously, make sure you stop over there and check it out. It’s pretty neat.
What are some of your best-selling local products?
Dean: Soom Tahini is good. We sell more Zsa’s Ice Cream than anyone in the city. We’re their best customer. We sell more John and Kira’s Chocolate than anyone in the city. We’re probably Merry Mead’s largest account. Noreen’s cookies, we sell a ton of those. Local apples, we have our own farms at Awbury Arboretum and Saul High School. We sell a lot of our own farm products and we sell to some restaurants around here. We work pretty closely with Iron Hill.
Rebecca: We sell to Earth – Bread + Brewery quite a bit. They do a lot of specials with our farm produce. Flatbreads and such.
Dean: Are you done with your investigation now? (More laughter. I told you, they like to have fun here.)
Following the interview, Dean and Rebecca showed me around the store, highlighting their many local products on the shelves before we walked next door to check out their wide variety of personal care products or, as Dean would put it, Lotions, Notions and Potions. Weavers Way Next Door really does represent the local community in so many different ways. Copa Soaps, Marvelous Mo’ and Me and Zea Soy Candles are just a few of the neighborhood vendors you’ll find stocked on their shelves.
If one-stop shopping while supporting the local Chestnut Hill economy tugs at your heartstrings, stop in to Weavers Way and see what they’re all about. There’s a community that’s thriving in there for sure. And know that you’re in good hands with Dean and Rebecca, “The Dream Team,” at the helm.
Weavers Way Co-op is located at 8424 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill; phone: (215) 866-9150.
