Cooperatives are often found in big cities. Think Chelsea Market: a big space housing small independent businesses.
In the suburbs, they’re few and far between, which is why General Store Cooperative in Maplewood is so extraordinary.
Founded by Amy Howlett and Deborah Engel and located on Springfield Avenue, General Store Cooperative is a single space with nine permanent business outposts and nooks for
pop-ups for artists and entrepreneurs that sell in the co-op for just a couple of weeks.
The cooperative’s main tenants include the Good Bottle Refill Shop (where folks can bring old bottles to refill cleaning and personal care products from big tubs), Three Daughters Baking Co. (a bakery and cake shop), Speakeasy Maplewood (bottled mocktails), Mrs. Meshugga (a kids clothing store), Maplewood Wheelhouse (a cheese shop), Dry Goods Refillery, Kitchen a la Mode and Fare Trade.
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Green Up Day is coming this Saturday, May 1. Continuing a 51-year tradition, this is the day when volunteers from all over the state pitch in to pick up trash along Vermontâs roadways.
How does Green-Up Day work? Fill your bag with paper, cans, and roadside trash. With COVID in mind, volunteers are asked to wear a mask and remember social distancing. Bright clothes and facing oncoming traffic helps cars avoid you. Insect repellent, gloves and boots protect against dirt and ticks. Children should tell adults if they find medical waste. (Use gloves and pliers or tongs to pick up needles and secure in a thick plastic container, ideally marked Medical Waste.)