FLINT, MI – A new cooperative grocery store soon to begin construction on the north end of Flint will host a series of vendor events throughout the summer to support small businesses.

The first pop-up small business event takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 13 at the lawn of Eagle’s Nest Academy, 5101 Cloverlawn Drive, in Flint and will feature an array of vendors from North Flint and D ‘elsewhere.

Members of the community are invited to enjoy an afternoon of shopping with vendors selling a variety of items including, but not limited to, sunglasses, health care items and beauty, self-care products, housewares and accessories for women.

The event is free, according to a press release from North Flint Food Market.

In addition, the In / out taco rack food truck will have items available for purchase locally. Their menu includes tacos, hot dogs, Polish sausages and much more.

Pop-up shops will continue throughout the summer. All pop-ups are from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Future dates include Sunday June 27; Sunday July 18; Sunday July 25; Sunday August 15; Sunday August 22 and Saturday September 11.

The pop-up is an extension of [IN] on the Road Business Bootcamp for young adults which launched its second cohort in April 2021.

Young and aspiring entrepreneurs in North Flint honed their business skills through the program offered in conjunction with the Office of Research and Economic Development at the University of Michigan-Flint to provide a free business boot camp for young people .

The program includes monthly workshops and a series of lectures designed to help young people learn how to start their own businesses and understand business cooperative models, according to the press release.

The program is funded in part by Illuminating Community Change (IC2), a community-based crime reduction grant from the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.

“We are excited to expand our pop-up events this year,” said Arlene Wilborn, General Manager of the North Flint Food Market. “We started small last year by hosting one at the end of the summer. It was such a success that we decided to develop the idea by hosting monthly pop-ups this summer.

Wilborn said the series of events was created to help support small businesses, but also opens the door for vendors to potentially work with the grocery store in the future in its event space, which will be attached to Cooperative.

The event space will be a space where local vendors can sell their products, especially during the winter months, she said.

Work has already started on the future site of the North Flint Food Market, located at 5402 Clio Road, in Flint.

The market will be different from a traditional grocery store because it is owned by its members.

In 2018, the North Flint Reinvestment Corporation, a parent organization of the North Flint Food Market, purchased the old Abundant Life Community Church building with the intention of relocating the site to 5402 Clio Road for the store.

So far, the co-op has achieved 900 memberships and the goal is to reach 1,000 memberships by the end of 2021, Wilborn said.

Reverend Reginald Flynn, executive director of the North Flint Reinvestment Corporation and co-founder of North Flint Food Market, said the project would cost $ 7.6 million in total and the target amount would be met with a few hundred thousand dollars. more dollars, he said.

Flynn said the project is a direct response to Flint’s water crisis, adding that following the public health crisis, some grocery stores in the area have closed.

“Instead of coming together as residents to complain about the lack of access, we decided to take a more proactive role in terms of a long-term solution and what came out of this gathering was the idea to create a food cooperative, which the members own and make decisions about the store and its operations, ”said Flynn.

That same year, the North Flint Reinvestment Corporation bought the church property, Hamady Complete Food Centers on the North Side of Flint opened and closed in four months.

Related: Hamady grocery store closes north of Flint

Residents, organizations and businesses purchased memberships as an investment in the store’s development.

The market will be the first food cooperative in Genesee County.

Work has already started on the site and full construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

Memberships are still available for purchase at a one-time cost of $ 250 for individuals and $ 500 for businesses and organizations, according to project leaders.

Anyone interested in becoming a supplier can contact Arlene Wilborn at 810-620-1974 or email [email protected]

Additional information on events is available at Facebook.

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