Local Community Advertising
The end of the decade will also signal the end of a Kelowna-based cooperative grocer.
After appealing to the community for help following months of slow sales in the summer, One Big Table announced today that they will not be able to stay open.
In July, the grocer said that financial difficulties threatened to close the store, and the owners asked the community and its members for support.
In 2014, Founder Giulio Delle Nuvole Piccioli launched a kickstarter campaign to create and produce a community based TV/Web Show called One Big Table. In 2017, he opened One Big Table to bring locally grown and sourced products to the Okanagan people.
As a co-operative-run grocery store, Piccioli says they opened through community support.
“The reality of a small business is sometimes difficult to accept but one we can be honest about and over the past 3 years we have welcomed its successes and challenges fully,” One Big Table said in a Facebook post this morning.
“We opened on September 6th, 2017, with big dreams. We worked hard and are immensely proud of our many accomplishments - including being the first community-funded grocery store in Kelowna.”
The business went on to explain that financial uncertainty and a “seemingly perpetual staff turnover” eventually took a toll on their ability to grow.
“A special thank you goes to all of our Suppliers. We did this for you. Your work and dedication are what drives the local food movement; a particular big thank you also to all of our employees - without you there would have been no One Big Table,” the post continues.
“Finally, we thank you, our members, for giving us the chance to bring this project to life. One Big Table remains a compelling example of the power that collective actions have in shaping our community.”
If you would like to support One Big Table before they close up for good, they’ll be open throughout the month of December, Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm.
The cafe and catering will cease operations on Dec. 23, 2019. The grocer will reopen on Jan. 2, 2020 to sell any remaining stock.
Local Community Advertising