A Rather Brief History of Open Harvest
1971: A small ten-member buying club called the People's Food Co-op forms. They store food in a garage at 21st and Q streets.
1971-1973: The buying club moves four times and changes names twice, first to "Starseed Food Conspiracy" and then to "Our Store."
1974: With two hundred and fifty members, the buying club is operating out of the basement of Trinity United Methodist Church.
1975: Our Store becomes Open Harvest, and moves into a retail space at 27th and Randolph Streets. The space was small--500 square feet--and the first month's rent was $50. Membership in the co-op was $5 per year, plus four hours of volunteer work per month.
1977: The store is remodeled and expanded to 1200 square feet. The Open Harvest snack bar and bakery are born. There are no membership fees, but all members must work three hours per month.
1978: KZUM Community Radio begins broadcasting from the basement of Open Harvest.
1979: The snack bar moves next door, but there's not enough money and people power to keep it running and pay the rent. The snack bar eventually closes.
1980: Margot is hired as one of the co-managers (and she hasn't given up hope yet...)
1981: The Open Harvest Cookbook is published.
1983: Memberships are now $25 for an individual and $45 for a household. The staff is reorganized and a General Manager is selected in order to centralize decision-making tasks. Remodeling projects are begun: the floor is re-tiled, new bulk bins are purchased, and coolers and shelving is installed.
1988: Open Harvest Board and staff begin researching the feasibility of relocating the store.
1989: Membership dues increase to $125 for an individual and $190 for a household, to be paid over a three-year period. Loans are secured for Open Harvest's move to our new location.
1990: The co-op moves to 1618 South Street, with 5,000 square feet of retail space, rent at $4,000 a month, and a new deli!
1993: The store is struggling with its new identity as a larger business. Consultants are brought in to help institute an aggressive marketing campaign, reset the store, and work to boost sales.
1995: On our 20th anniversary, we have 800 members and sales are increasing.
1996: Memberships are reduced to $25 a year.
1997: Jerry Johnston steps down as General Manager. On October 8th, Jean Helms is hired by the Board of Directors as the new General Manager.
1999: Leora Platte paints and installs our large mural, "A Sense of Community", inside above the front doors.
2000: Open Harvest celebrates its 25th anniversary with the Millenium Magic Moon Dance on August 5th at the Welfare Society Hall.
2001: Open Harvest adds V.I.P. partner Bryan Community, an alternative high school in the Lincoln Public School System.
2002: Open Harvest and F Street Rec collaborate on a cooking program aired on cable access TV. The co-op presents cooking classes for the Bright Lights Summer Enrichment program. Open Harvest helps start up the People's Garden Network, a community garden.
2003: A thousand origami cranes fly at the co-op to raise funds for Nebraska's first solar and wind powered school at Prairie Hill Learning School. The office bursts at the seams and an administrative office is rented from the Farmer's Union at 13th and South.
2004: Bryan LGH hospital invites Open Harvest to present a tofu cooking class.
2005: Open Harvest celebrates the 30th Anniversary with a Parking Lot Jamm featuring live music and a tent sale in front of the store at 17th and South Streets. Open Harvest reincorporates from a Nebraska not-for-profit corporation to a true cooperative in the State of Nebraska. (For more information on the reincorporation, check out the article Vote Co-op!)
2006: An Expansion Committee is formed to study the feasibility of relocation of the co-op. The co-op helps kick off the Buy Fresh Buy Local to support local farmers.
2006: Open Harvest is awarded more than $275,000 for a USDA Community Food Project grant, "From Garden to Table." Open Harvest was also awarded the 'Community Gem Award' by the Nebraska Retailers Association and the Lyman Environmental Award by the Wachiska Audubon in the fall of 2006.
2007: Jean Helms resigns as General Manager to move on to new projects
2007: In October Jim Nelson started work as Open Harvest's new General Manager
2009: In July Open Harvest expanded west into the Eyes of the World space, enlarging our retail space and beginning a new era.