14 years in the making — the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op opens

The parking lot at the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op was nearly full Wednesday morning, the long-awaited opening day of the community-owned grocery store in Detroit’s North End neighborhood.

Inside, the vestibular entrance was crowded with customers snapping photos of a welcome sign. An exclamatory “Whaddupdoe!” in black letters greets guests with a sentiment of Detroit hospitality. Friendly Detroit People’s Food Co-Op volunteers and member/owners outfitted in black shirts with the business’ logo embossed across the chest echoed the phrase in real time as visitors filed in, and lines of customers purchasing goods wrapped around the 15,000-square-foot supermarket.

More: Are you wondering what the term 'Whatupdoe' means? It's distinctly Detroit.

The crowd excitement at the opening was the culmination of 14 years of anticipation of the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op, a project inspired by the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN), the nonprofit food justice organization leading the formation of the co-op. In January, the Free Press listed the project among 10 new Detroit developments to get excited about in 2024, including Ford's Michigan Central Station and Hudson's site skyscraper.

“It feels great to finally be open, but we’re at the finish line and at the starting line also,” DBCFSN executive director Malik Yakini said between embraces with loved ones. Community members lined up to congratulate Yakini and Detroit People’s Food Co-Op team on a successful opening.

“Now, we have to run a successful grocery store, and so we’re appealing to our community to shop on a regular basis. It’s good to have opening-day excitement, but we need that excitement translated into regular sales for the store to be sustainable,” Yakini said.

A grand opening and official ribbon-cutting for the co-op will be held at 11 a.m. May 18. In the meantime, community members and visitors alike are invited to shop the supermarket’s offerings of fresh produce, condiments, pantry staples, dairy products, home essentials and more. The co-op is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Still have questions? Here’s everything you need to know about the co-op:

Food co-op 101

A food co-op is a cooperatively owned food business. The Detroit People’s Food Co-op specifically, is collectively owned by community members over the age of 21 who live in Michigan. The fee to become a member/owner is $200. Member/owners can elect members to board — the co-op’s governing body — serve on committees and have opportunities to earn profit shares if available. The co-op is Black-led, yet open to all.

On the shelves

The Detroit People’s Food Co-op is committed to serving health-conscious and affordable food options with low-income community members in mind. The produce section, lined with photos of growers at local farms, is stocked with fruits and vegetables from four local gardens and bags of coffee sourced from local businesses, like Baobab Fare, Sepia Coffee and Konjo Me Coffee sit alongside tins of Café Bustelo grounds, and bags of Starbucks beans. There are boxes of organic cereal varieties, as well as nostalgic options by Post and Kellogg’s and organic nut butters and jams. There are cheeses, crackers and various snacks and in the North End Deli section, you’ll find a hot food and salad bar and an array of breads and pastries. Other dairy and meat products are also available.

Home in the North End

Located on Woodward Avenue, the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op is a prime site for anyone traveling the major thoroughfare and a straight shot to downtown Detroit. The supermarket is most convenient for North End, Milwaukee Junction, Boston Edison and Arden Park residents, neighborhoods which are rich in an urban agricultural presence, yet lacking in proximity to a supermarket. The deep-rooted history of activism in the neighborhood — in the 1960s, North End residents were highly engaged in the Civil Rights Movement — also appealed to members of the DBCFSN in its search for a home for the co-op, an operation centered on “Black self-determination, anti-racism, and building a non-extractive economy,” according to its website.

More than food

Totaling more than 30,000 square feet, the building that houses the supermarket, known as the Detroit Food Commons, fulfills needs beyond food services. Upstairs, there are offices for the DBCSFN, a banquet hall available for community events and four commercial kitchens for rent for food business owners in need of prep space. Chef Gabriel Vincent heads up the culinary program, managing all food services and overseeing the cooks who utilize each commercial kitchen.

Celebrating the grand opening

Though the supermarket is open, the official celebration of the opening will be held at 11 a.m. on May 18.

“May 18, we’re going to have speakers, live bands, children’s activities, workshops — it’s going to be a celebration,” Yakini said, adding that there will also be an official ribbon-cutting.

Detroit People's Food Co-Op

8324 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 833-373-2313; detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit People’s Food Co-Op opens after 14-year buildup