RIDGWAY – On the eve of its sixth anniversary, Season's Harvest Natural Foods in Ridgway is going cooperative. The community heath food store on Clinton St. is hosting a special open house on Thursday, Aug. 5 – not only to thank patrons for their years of support, but also encourage them to become members of the new Ridgway Natural Foods Co-op. The combined customer appreciation day and membership drive will feature food, live music, and provide an opportunity for customers to meet their local food producers.

"Since the event is being blended, it's not exactly our anniversary celebration," says store owner Melissa Johnson, who over the last several months has busied herself with the task of converting Season's Harvest into a co-op.

Over the years Johnson has played a significant role in promoting local farmers, ranchers and businesses. Along with vegetables and fruits from farms in the Delta/Hotchkiss/Paonia region, Season's Harvest sells products from a number of regional producers, including High Wire buffalo and elk, Ferguson Family beef, Troyer Farm chicken, and Indian Ridge breads and granola. Johnson also helps customers source raw milk, and stocks her shelves with herbal tinctures and skin products from local companies like Ridgway's Shining Mountain.

Facing a tough economy, becoming a co-op is the only way Johnson believes she can keep the health food store’s doors open. So with a seven-person steering committee in place, the next step is to garner community buy-in through memberships.

"So far we have 16 members committed at the Seed level," she says, explaining that the steering committee has set a goal of obtaining 50 Seed memberships by Aug. 25. "Once we have that, we'll have the organization we need to create a board and the knowledge that we can actually move forward with the co-op."

Ridgway Co-op Seed members pay $200 in exchange for "lifetime" membership, which entitles them to significant discounts and, when the store begins to turn a profit, annual dividends. Alternatively, Season's Harvest members can stretch out their payment commitment by signing up as Root members ($55 quarterly) or Leaf members ($25/year for 10 years), a $20 or $50 extra fee, respectively. (Membership is not required to shop at the co-op.) To move forward with the co-op and be counted toward the initial $10,000 goal, however, only Seed memberships will be considered, says Johnson.

If the remaining 34 Seed memberships are not obtained by the deadline, "we'll re-evaluate what we want to do with Season's Harvest," says Johnson of the steering committee's next steps. Until enough Seed memberships are obtained, all funds are being held in a reserve account. “We’re not going to spend a penny, everything is refundable,” she says. Once the co-op is officially up and running, if a member moves away or decides they no longer want to participate, their membership fees will be returned.

As of Aug. 5, all members at any level will be able to use their membership cards, which provide a 20 percent discount on all store merchandise twice a month. Members will also receive weekly discounts on selected items in the store, as well as case discounts. For example, if a customer chooses to by a 25-pound bag of flour or beans, or a case of tuna or tomato sauce, they will be able to make that purchase at 15 percent above cost.

"Fifteen percent above wholesale is way better than most co-ops," which typically provide a discount off the suggested retail price, says Johnson.

Ridgway Natural Foods Co-op members will eventually receive dividends based the store’s end-of-year profits and the customer’s annual purchases.

By investing in the business, "you get out of it something tangible in savings and you have input in the store," Johnson explains. "But I expect people to help out."

Those who volunteer at the store will receive a deeper discount based on the amount of hours worked, "maybe an extra discount day at the store or a case at cost," she says.

It is anticipated that Johnson will stay on at Season's Harvest as the co-op's general manager. She and another part-time employee will be the store’s only paid workers and "volunteers will fill in the blanks.

"I expect people to help out because I’m going to need it," she continues. "It's not going to be my store anymore. I'll be here to help out, but people will have to realize it's their store when they buy in. If they want it to stay, they'll have to support it. I guess that's the bottom line.” It’s about "belonging to a community of like-minded people interested in maintaining" a business that nurtures and supports the health and sustainability of the planet.

The entire community is encouraged to stop in for Season's Harvest’s Customer Appreciation Day/Membership Drive on Aug. 5, where there will be a 15 percent discount on the entire store, or 20 percent discounts for those who sign up for any level of membership. Store hours that day will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m., but the party will get going around noon, says Johnson, with a buffet of food provided by steering committee members and live music by Heather and Doug from 2 to 4 p.m. Growers from Tomten Farm and Buckhorn Gardens will be on hand, as well as other local producers, providing samples and information about their goods.

An OrGano Gold instant coffee representative will also be there, providing samples of their non-acidic, low caffeine coffee. "The beverage isn't local, but the people selling it are," she explains.

The event is a perfect way to learn about the new Ridgway Natural Foods Co-op while celebrating Johnson's six years of providing locally-produced, high-quality food and specialty products to the region. For more information about the open house or to become a co-op member, contact Season's Harvest at 970/626-9719 or stop by the store, located at 521 Clinton St. in Ridgway. Their website address is www.RidgwayNaturalFoods.com.