When Bloomingfoods opened on July 24, 1976, many community members felt a real sense of ownership. The Bloomingfoods community was vibrant and in its first year of operation sales totaled approximately $211,000.

By 1990, Bloomingfoods posted annual sales of $1.3 million and had accumulated $100,000 in the bank. At this point, the co-op was outgrowing the Kirkwood Store. Inadequate parking and two-floor shopping made it hard to sustain the co-op’s growth rate. Then, as now, there was pressure from national chains. It was believed that a quick response was important to preserve and grow our market. Rather than abandon the original location, the Board of Directors decided to open a second co-op store in 1991.

The co-op had a nice savings of $100,000, as well as a loan from a local lender. Bloomingfoods converted an old restaurant into a grocery store. On November 1, 1991, Bloomingfoods East opened for business to very positive community and owner-member reception. Unfortunately, remodeling costs had exceeded estimates. We were counting on strong sales as a counterbalance and, although growth was steady, it was slow. Changes were made in almost all aspects of the co-op’s operations, the most significant being the conversion from a fee or work-trade based membership system to an ownership-based one.

In 1992, owner-members approved the change for each new owner-member to invest a $90 refundable equity deposit in the co-op. These investments provided the co-op with capital to build a future. In 1992, sales doubled to $2.5 million, but the co-op was in a second year of negative profits. This is not unusual, but we had failed to plan for this situation. The co-op launched an owner-member loan program, and once again owners demonstrated their commitment to the co-op by loaning nearly $60,000. With this support we were able to recover and thrive.

By the late 1990s Bloomingfoods repaid all the owner-member loans. A growing interest in natural foods, as well as a reputation for excellent customer service, and community involvement resulted in significant growth for the co-op. Patronage rebates were distributed to owner-members four out of five years, indicating the financial success of the co-op. In all, the focus had shifted from crisis management to longer-term planning while maximizing productivity and internal efficiencies.

Owner-members had long advocated that Bloomingfoods open a restaurant, as well as establish a presence on Bloomington’s west side. In May 2001, the co-op purchased the Encore Café, on West Sixth Street. Several months later, Bloomingfoods began operating the Theater Café at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

The Encore and Theater Cafés were very successful in many ways. We were able to connect with the community, support the arts, and provide healthful prepared foods at a fair price. Even with dedicated customers and an amazing staff, a restaurant proved financially unsustainable. Although it contributed to many of our higher values, in early 2007, we began converting the Encore space into our third grocery store.

On July 4th, 2007, Bloomingfoods Near West opened at 6th and Madison. We spent seven months remodeling the historic Encore building. With the support of owner-members and the community, we transformed the space into a grocery to serve the neighborhoods west of downtown. This location continues to offer a full selection of produce, grocery, meats, as well as a cheese section from around the world and ready-to-eat options you can enjoy in our café or take with you. In addition, Gallery B, features a rotating display of local artists.

The success of the three Bloomingfoods locations led us to begin investigating a fourth Bloomingfoods. In the summer of 2013, the co-op opened a new store on Second Street and Fess Avenue in Elm Heights. Once again, the generous Bloomingfoods membership and community joined together to help finance the new enterprise as they had for the East Store and the Near West Store.

Also in the spring of 2013, another branch of Bloomingfoods was opened at Ivy Tech Community College, which was a combination grocery, convenience store, and café for the students and public.

Unfortunately forces combined to challenge the new growth of Bloomingfoods. Chain stores began a campaign to enter the “fresh” food market, and the Elm Heights store was not as successful as forecasted. In early 2015, the original Bloomingfoods store on Kirkwood was closed and Bloomingfoods reached out to the National Cooperative Grocers to improve the financial outlook of the co-op. In June 2015, Bloomingfoods’ staff decided to organize and joined UFCW Local 700.

In the spring of 2016, the decision was made to close the Elm Heights store. It was a disappointment to the community, the staff, and the member-lenders – all of whom had had contributed greatly to this effort. Bloomingfoods board and managers have devoted much of their energy since then to address their financial, community, and staff obligations. The building was sold in the spring of 2017 and is now The Elm restaurant.

Bloomingfoods faced yet another dilemma in the spring of 2018 when it seemed unlikely that the East store property lease could be renewed, due to an adjacent apartment development, the Current, encompassing the space. The co-op was faced with moving the East location or closing it entirely. Recovery from Elm Heights was slow, but sales at the East and Near West stores steadily grew and Bloomingfoods continued its communication with both the property owners and Trinitas throughout 2019.

Early in 2020, the developers decided not to incorporate the lot historically leased to Bloomingfoods, and the property owner decided to give the co-op another long-term contract through 2066. The end of the looming need to move from our location was coupled with growing profitability in the stores to give a new sense of optimism. Despite the changes necessitated by the pandemic, which caused major upheavals by March of 2020, Bloomingfoods continued to thrive. As a grocery store outside the major corporate giants, the supply chain issues were not felt as severely. Store policies of masking and cleanliness made them safe places to visit and a new pickup procedure served those being more careful. The staff was given special consideration in a time of widespread layoffs elsewhere. One change that was inevitable, however, was the permanent closure of the Bloomingfoods at Ivy Tech.

As the Current comes to completion, Bloomingfoods looks forward to weighing the impact of a 900-bed apartment complex next door to the East store. Although the early 2020’s have seen an improvement in the financial health of the co-op, inflation and the slow repayment of the debt load are still an issue. The East store is being renovated as economically as possible to address the aging infrastructure with the hope of adding new floor space as the budget allows in the next few years. The survival through dark times and the hope for a bright future are a result of the community’s support of the store through thick and thin. We look forward to celebrating our fiftieth birthday in 2026 with you!