Greene Hill Food Co-Op Signs Lease For New Fulton Street Space

CLINTON HILL, NY — The Greene Hill Food Co-Op plans to move to a new Fulton Street space this summer after they raised more than $30,000 online to stay afloat, organizers said. However, members still need to another $16,000 to help with the re-location.

The co-op signed a lease on Monday for their new 1083 Fulton St. storefront and will start moving from their 18 Putnam Ave. space at the end of the month.

"We knew kind of that [the landlords] were committed to us, and we were absolutely committed to them, but at the same time until the ink is dry you can’t assume anything," said Sarah Chinn, who helped organized the online fundraiser. "We just finally signed it and there was just this huge sigh of relief."

Members of the co-op launched an IndieGoGo campaign last month when they lost the lease to their Putnam Avenue storefront, which they occupied since 2011, after their landlord sold the building.

Faced with the possibility of shutting down, Chinn and fellow member Lindsay Reichart launched a last-ditch effort to find a new space and raise funds online to cover the move.

The group reached their $30,000 goal earlier this month, but after sitting down to create a more accurate budget, realized they'd still need $16,000 to completely pay for the move.

"We had a lot of sample budgets, but we hadn’t really spoken to people who knew what they were doing," said Chinn. "Then we realized this is going to cost a lot more."

The majority of the extra funds are needed to pay for electrical work in the building and to install the refrigeration units in the new spot. They also need $12,000 to cover their first and last month's rent along with the broker's fee.

Chinn extended the online fundraiser campaign to May 1 to help get the extra funds and will host a fundraiser on April 30 at C'mon Everybody in Bed-Stuy with live music and a silent auction.

The co-op was first jeopardized in 2016 when their landlords tried to terminate the lease and sell their building, DNAinfo reported. Co-op members took the case to court, but the landlords were ultimately able to legally break the lease when they sold the building this year, Chinn said.

The store was saddled with debt from buying new equipment and sales were recently sluggish, so the board voted in February to close for good, according to the fundraiser. However, members banded together to create the online campaign to keep it alive.

Members will be able to shop in the old Greene Hill space until April 23 and Chinn said they plan to open the Fulton Street spot on June 1.

Image: Greene Hill Food Co-Op