The town I grew up in had a grocery store co-op some ex-hippies set up around 1975. You paid a yearly fee ($20 or so) and got a 5% discount on everything. It was some bulk goods, organic (before that was popular) and niche stuff, but good prices overall.
50 years later it’s still there, same membership concept but transformed into more of a Whole Foods Yuppy market.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vDPKpxGLCXpDB8TE9
Whenever I’m back in town I stop in. Great cheese selection at better than fair prices.
Back in the ‘70s, when I was going to law school in Washington D.C., I had little money and worked like a devil just to pay tuition. Food was difficult to come by, but there was a grocery co-op in the city called Stone Soup. The foods there were basic, very nutritious, and cheap enough to meet my budget. I do not know how I would have gotten by without it.
Thanks for sharing. Encouraging news.