It’s the end of an era in DeKalb: Duck Soup Coop is closing. Last night, the natural foods market’s members voted to shut down after forty years.
Members packed the small store to hear just how bad the co-op’s finances are and learn their options. $45,000 in the hole. They overwhelmingly chose an “orderly closure” as soon as possible over bankruptcy or trying to raise 100-thousand dollars to stay viable.
Seth Moreno and Erica Gazija are fairly new fans of the store. They say they will miss Duck Soup, but understand the decision. Moreno says the energy it created will continue, while Gazija praised the co-op for its impact on the community.
That impact was making organics and other “health foods” available, especially back before major grocery chains got on board. Mylan Engel is president of the Duck Soup Coop Board of Directors, and praised the co-op and others for driving that change.
Andrew Shepherd will soon be out of a job…and a lifestyle. He says he did 90% of his grocery shopping there. He'd like another co-op to move into the area and thinks there will be demand once the community realizes what it is losing.
Seven full and part time employees will lose their jobs: they’re being asked to stay on with reduced hours until the end. An end date for Duck Soup will be determined at the next board of directors meeting, which hasn't yet been set..
