Still on the market: Saskatoon shop finds support to ward off closure

Nestled in between Museo Coffee Roasters and the Bulk Cheese Warehouse on Broadway Avenue, many people in Saskatoon have likely walked past the Steep Hill Food Co-op on a warm summer day.

Steep Hill exists to serve members and community, “to provide the food we want in a way that fits with our values,” according to Cathy Holtslander, the newly appointed president of the Steep Hill board.

For the past 45 years, the small, sustainably focused grocery store has survived — making it through the pandemic and street closures that have spelled the end for many other small storefronts.

But in this era of inflation, members of the Co-op nearly had to say goodbye to the local staple and final grocery establishment on Saskatoon’s bustling Broadway.

At the beginning of April, the then-board of Steep Hill announced it would be closing at the end of that month.

The announcement said the store had been struggling for the past few years and had to close because its financial reserves had finally been depleted.

Steep Hill Food Co-op on Broadway Avenue in Saskatoon, (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

“That was not the news that we wanted to hear,” Holtslander said.

She said several members arranged an informal meeting to see what could be done about the issue. About 50 people attended that meeting, where the board was asked to hold a special membership meeting.

On April 24, around 150 people packed the Emmanuel Anglican Church basement.

Holtslander said members like herself wanted to answer the question of whether it would be possible to keep Steep Hill going. A group of people who had prepared for the meeting felt there were things that could be done to make a difference.

Eight people put their names forward to form an interim board, replacing the previous board, to pursue those plans.

It was at that meeting Holtslander was named the new interim president.

“We want to go from simply surviving to thriving,” Holtslander said of the store.

The board will be in place until the annual general meeting of the co-operative in June. Until then, the board will work to implement some of the actions and changes it thinks might help the store. Then, the board will report back on what has been accomplished and plans for Steep Hill’s future, and elections for the new board will be held.

Holtslander said there are no hard feelings with the old board members.

“Everybody respects all the hard work the previous board put in to all the challenges that they faced,” she said, explaining they brought the store through the pressures of COVID-19 and street closures on Broadway.

The new board is already hard at work trying to continue those efforts. Holtslander said a GoFundMe has been set up with a goal of raising $50,000 for the co-operative. Just a week after starting it, the group was already more than halfway to its goal.

Holtslander said that type of support is amazing to have. The money raised will go to investments and needed changes to the store, like upgrading computer systems, changing store layout and adjusting product lines.

Some staff hours and overhead costs have had to be reduced while the board is sorting out the store’s affairs, Holtslander said. A survey has also been sent out to members and those part of the Steep Hill community to ask for ideas, work or financial contributions, and feedback.

Steep Hill employee, Sammy, with long-time member and customer, Melva Armstrong, on May 3, 2023. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

Melva Armstrong has been a member at Steep Hill for about two decades. A lover of organic food, she said the store’s selection is beyond what she can find at any other store.

Living out of town, Armstrong makes sure she stops in at the store once every two months, when she comes to Saskatoon for work.

“It’s part of my shopping … They always have stuff I don’t get anywhere else,” Armstrong said during her most recent trip to Steep Hill.

She’s grateful the store hasn’t gone under and said she plans to continue supporting it as long as possible. Her favourite items on the shelf include organic peanuts, vegenaise and bulk flax seed.

Holtslander praised the store’s fresh produce selection, spices and bulk food portion of the one-aisle store.

As many other stores have closed their doors over the years — notably, Extra Foods on Broadway last year and just last week, Saskatoon’s Sustain Market — Holtslander is feeling encouraged for Steep Hill.

As a non-profit and a co-operative, Holtslander said Steep Hill is meant to provide sustainable options to its customers and members that represent their strong values — wanting healthy, local food and products that aren’t harmful to the environment and minimize packaging.

Holtslander is also grateful that the co-operative allowed members to stand up and say no when the store seemed doomed to close its doors forever.

“That democratic control that you get as a co-operative gave us that opportunity to try again and try something new,” she said.

“People know that they’re going to be part of it. It’s not just money that’s going to disappear. It’s going to go into the store and they’re going to benefit.”

Annual memberships with Steep Hill can be bought for $25 ($15 for students), giving people a three per cent discount on groceries or six per cent if a working member, contributing two hours each month to the store. The membership provides the ability for individuals to voice and a vote in matters related to the co-operative.

Holtslander said there are eight people at the helm of the operation, beyond just herself, and sees lots of potential to grow Steep Hill.

“(There are) lots of different skills and knowledge and experience and a huge amount of commitment and work that’s going into it,” she shared.

However, the store will have to see improvement before it is definitively shown it can stay open.

“It’s kind of an exciting time but  … we’re not there yet,” Holtslander said.