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Facing closure, EL Food Co-Op plans possible re-launch

food co-op interior
Kevin Lavery
/
WKAR-MSU
Anne Woiwode (L) and Shiloh Daum help run the East Lansing Food Co-Op. The store is facing a closure vote.

After 40 years in business, the East Lansing Food Co-Op is closing its doors.  The customer-owned enterprise is losing money to bigger competitors.  But the little store is hoping for a big comeback someday. 

A mid-Michigan community institution is facing a hard decision.  On Sunday, the owners of the East Lansing Food Co-Op will vote on a motion to sell its building on Northwind Avenue.

The co-op is facing stiff economic pressure from nearby competitors.  And while a shutdown seems inevitable, its investors and patrons hope to resurrect the very idea that’s made the co-op a 40-year success.

WKAR's Kevin Lavery has the story.

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
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