Plainfield Co-op & Community Center

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In response to everyone's questions, here's a status report.

A reminder of how we got here: In August, Plainfield Co-op purchased Plainfield Hardware with
the intention of closing the village store and moving all operations to Route 2. This followed…

• A two-year process of research and decision-making with Co-op membership.
• A planning grant, funded by the state of Vermont, to develop a business plan.
• An intensive round of fundraising, which includes loans from cooperative and commercial
lenders, community members, and owner financing. We also received donations from about
100 members and friends of the Co-op. Fifteen members volunteered to help raise money.
• The $2 million raised to date (including $500,000 from the community) has been used to
purchase the store and pay some of the transition costs. We knew, from the start, that
additional fundraising – plus the sale of the Co-op building in the village – would be required
to fully fund this project.

We hired our new general manager, Jeannine DeWald, a few weeks ago – welcome, Jeannine! –
and we've been delighted with her commitment, creativity, and energy. Kudos to all the staff who
continue to do their work with professionalism and skill.

Challenges: We've faced many challenges. Some were anticipated, others unexpected.

• It took almost four months from the purchase date to hire a general manager. This greatly
slowed our progress and created significant additional expenses. In the ideal world, we would
have begun the GM search much earlier, but we have a small Board – only five people at the
time of the purchase – and were consumed with planning, fundraising, purchase negotiations,
and a lot of paperwork.
• The complexity of merging these two businesses has been immense: different accounting
systems, point-of-sales systems, operations, etc. Perhaps more complex than we anticipated.
• Our slow progress on the merger has led to confusion, disappointment, and persistent
questions from staff, members, and customers.
• While our margins remain strong, sales are down at both locations.

The way forward: Management and the Board are committed to moving everything to Route 2
as quickly as possible -- within the next one to two months. You'll notice additional changes to the
Route 2 location during that time.

Our biggest challenge is cash flow. Therefore, fundraising continues. Reach out if you can make
a gift or loan; add to your previous gift or loan; or suggest new donors. We are also seeking a
buyer for the village building, which will provide some of the funding we need. When we reach
our fundraising goal (an additional $100,000) and find a suitable buyer, we'll be in solid shape.

Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities related to the move. Please keep shopping at both
locations. We appreciate your commitment to the Plainfield Co-op!

Cooperatively,
Plainfield Co-op Board of Directors
board@plainfieldcoop.com

During the December 17th Plainfield Cooperative Board Meeting, it was decided that we will be discontinuing Community Center rentals after January 15th, 2025. If you have already paid for rental time scheduled after that date, contact admin@plainfieldcoop.com to arrange a refund.

If you are in need of a rental space, we suggest the Plainfield Opera House:

https://www.plainfieldartsvt.org/

Thank you all for being a part of our community!