We’re getting closer to moving our Eau Claire store from Farwell Street to the new building on Barstow with every day that passes, and our staff has naturally started to wax nostalgic about leaving our current location. We asked them to share what they’ll miss most the cramped building and are sharing them with you in this issue as a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what life has been like there over the last fifteen years.

REPLY #1: I’ll miss the small, shared backroom. For all its inefficiencies, it was always so endearing! Everyone knew how to work together and to work around each other, and that takes communication, grace, and patience. That innate level of mutual understanding allowed for fun times and great stories. And it perfectly incapsulates the Farwell Street store—a memorable, and often entertaining, team effort!

REPLY #2: Even though we had cramped quarters and kept running into each other, I’ll miss the smaller store because it was easier to get to know your co-workers when there are so few of us! We have great camaraderie here, which we will work on carrying over to the new location.

REPLY #3: What I will miss most about the Farwell Street store is that my morning commute will go from a 3-minute drive (12-minute walk) to a 5 minute-drive (29-minute walk). I’ll also miss the weirdly pleasant smell you get when you walk in the front door that you can never truly place. Is it from produce? The coffee grinder? The bulk section? We may never truly know, but that smell will always be missed.

REPLY #4: I will miss the closeness we have in our small store. It is like we are a family—we know each other well, and we all have our quirks, but we all get along. I will also miss working with my manager Jordan every day as we will be sharing him with the Menomonie store now that he’s the Category Manager.

REPLY #5: I will miss the late night deliveries of turkeys, curbside orders, and whatever other crazy dropoffs I have made from one store to the other over the years.

REPLY #6: For the better part of 20 years, our little store that could has had a familial feeling amongst staff. Due to tight (cozy) quarters, we have shared the ups and downs of running a business, but also the highs and lows of real life with each other. We’ve gone through the litany of emotions daily, but more than anything, we’ve laughed and made the most of this funky little corner store. I’m confident that we’ll continue the culture that we’ve established at 1117 South Farwell into the Barstow building, but I also know stories of the “old days” will continue to entertain us for years to come.

REPLY #7: I’ll miss (1) feeling like a packed can of sardines in the back office, (2) only taking five steps before being on the other side of the store, (3) the huge trailer we had to put out back each year when turkeys came in for Thanksgiving, and (4) the walk-in freezer that you need to exit the store to get to.

This article was originally published in the July/August 2023 issue of our bi-monthly newsletter, The Morsel. If you’d like to read more stories like this one and stay up to date on the latest co-op news and events, pick up a print copy in-store on your next grocery run or find more news on our website here.