With a new cash register and a $6,000 loan from Community Senate, the Guilford College Co-Op opened for its first full year of business last Monday evening.
The Co-op received a loan of approximately $1,400 to cover operational expenses for the three months it was open last spring. After paying back last year’s loan, the Co-op still made a profit of roughly $2,000.
“It was a trial period both in the eyes of the college and in the eyes of the students in the Co-op,” said Rebecca Saunders, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership and staff adviser to the Co-op. “I think they surprised themselves, and I know they surprised the college.”
The idea of a student-run cooperative was conceived of in GANE meetings shortly after Subway announced they would no longer be in the Underground.
Many of the 30 students involved in the conception are still members of the Co-op, and the group looks forward to new members joining.
“Personally, I’d like
to see the group that’s involved in it widen a lot because it’s also a student-run business,” said sophomore Celeste Palladino, a founding member of the Co-op. “It’s a good experience to see how a business is run.”
Enthusiasm runs high.
Monday’s opening involved music by student performers, and the Underground became a hub of social activity. That’s one of the main goals of the Co-op, according to the proposal that worked its way through administrators at the end of November 2002.
The opening of that manifesto reads, “The Guilford College Student Co-Operative Coffee Shop will provide a communal open space for students to gather and discuss, inform, educate, and of course, enjoy fine beverages and snacks.”
“It’s much livelier down here than I’ve ever seen it,” said first-year Evan Welkin on Monday night. “I’ll certainly hang out here more, and I’m interested in getting involved with the Co-op.”
The Co-op Coffee Shop shares space with Jazzman’s Caf in the Underground. They serve organic and Fair Trade coffee and locally-made pastries, among other things. The Co-op opens at 8 p.m. and closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday. It’s closed on weekends, though worker Liz Nemitz hopes to change that.
“We might be open Fridays and Saturdays if there are shows and stuff going on,” she said. “If there’s stuff going on, it would be cool to have it open.”
“Whenever there were coffeehouses and shows down there, you know, it was just so fun. It was our initial goal to try to make the Underground a place where people would hang out,” Nemitz said.
Other members agree.
“It’s been wonderful to feel like I had a place where I could go and know people were going to be down there, and actually have an area,” said junior James Croonenberghs, last year’s Co-Op Operations Manager.
Senior Ted Fetter knows many of the students in the Co-op but is not involved himself. “The coffeehouse embodies many things that this school is supposed to be about-the true spirit of Guilford. I wish there were more things here like that,” said Fetter. “They’re doing a great thing.