Two weeks ago, Hal Sears was coming out of the back door of the Community Mercantile Co-op when he ran into Karl Scheidt, a Bonner Springs farmer. Almost 20 years ago, when Sears was the co-op’s produce buyer on Saturdays, the pair would drag 13 or 14 bushels of apples — more than 600 pounds — into the store. Now, Scheidt makes a special trip with a box of Arkansas Blacks just for Sears.

“When I see him every fall and he sells me some apples for my own personal use, it feels like something has come full circle,” said Sears, now the store’s Wellness Department manager.

“He’s not going to say quit. He’s not going to stop. That’s kind of like the store. We’re going to keep going even when we don’t feel like it. We’re going to keep being down home.”

On Saturday, the co-op — commonly known as the Merc — will celebrate its 30-year journey from a small group of health-conscious buyers to a nationally recognized, community-based cooperative.

“We are cooperative, and that has a lot to do with the specialness of our 30th anniversary,” said Nancy O’Connor, executive director of the Community Mercantile Education Foundation.

“In a climate where you’re hearing almost every day about buyouts and mergers, co-ops still remain the essence of a locally-owned business. That’s something that differentiates us from other grocery stores — our concern for the community.”

Saturday’s celebration will include samples from local vendors, live music and services like chair massages. And, if you’re one of the 2,700 members of the Merc, you’ll get 10 percent off your purchase.

Customer base

The Merc, 901 Iowa, has moved four times and grown substantially in its 30-year history.

The store occupied two locations on Massachusetts Street — one is now Vermont Street BBQ and the other is Quinton’s Bar & Deli — before heading to 700 Maine, now a private residence.

In 2001, the store moved from 901 Miss. to 901 Iowa, expanding to more than 14,000 square feet.

The store has succeeded, O’Connor said, because it was able to adapt to its changing customer base. The Merc’s staff has developed services and programs to better suit the maturing food industry and the community’s needs.

“When it started out 30 years ago, there was no place to buy brown rice or whole wheat,” said Jeanie Wells, general manager.

“Now people in Lawrence are more sophisticated. They know how they feel when they eat certain things, and the store has tried to continue making people feel good.”

In July, the Merc was selected by its peer cooperative organizations as the National Cooperative Retailer of the Year at the 48th annual Consumer Cooperative Management Assn. conference.

“We have an unusual history,” Wells said. “We’ve had some unique situations, and we’re a pretty large, locally-owned business. That award was to acknowledge where we’ve come from and where we’re going and how much the community supports us.”

Owned by consumers

That unusual history almost ended in 1993, when Wild Oats opened a store just blocks away from one of the Merc’s former locations.

Wild Oats, then the second-largest natural food store in the country, opened its doors about six months before the Merc could open its Mississippi store. The struggle ended when Wild Oats closed its Lawrence store in 1996.

“We didn’t have deep pockets, and the store had a lot of rough edges,” O’Connor said.

“Their store had a lot of bells and whistles. The thing that really saved us was that they really underestimated the strength of our community. The community made a decision that they wanted the Merc, and it helped us to be a better store. I wouldn’t want to relive that, but it forced us to take a hard look at who we were and what we did.”

Because the Merc is a cooperative grocer, the store is owned by consumers instead of one owner or a parent company.

The memberships are a way for the community to get involved economically. Members elect a board of directors who then run the store. The $75 lifetime memberships are available to anyone and are not required to shop at the Merc.

“It’s really inclusive here,” said Erich Buer, who has worked in the produce department for four years.

“You get the feeling that people are like, ‘Wow! We’ve been doing this for 30 years?’ There is a momentum around it, that it (the anniversary) is really something to celebrate, not just a day to get a discount.”