Belfast Community Co-op - Belfast, ME

Belfast Community Co-op
Opened: 1993 in current location; 1976 previously

Owner: cooperatively owned

Previous Tenants: Finast (opened ca. 1960)

Cooperative: National Co-op Grocers

Location: 123 High St, Belfast, ME

Photographed: August 12, 2019

New England has at least dozens of co-op grocers, most of which are members of the National Co-op Grocers cooperative -- that is, basically a cooperative made up of cooperatives. In a co-op supermarket, the owners (usually just regular people who've bought a small share of the co-op) co-own the business, and then in this case, the business itself co-owns the retailers' cooperative. Belfast, Maine has had a community co-op for a couple decades, which opened here in a former Finast in 1993.

I photographed the approximately 10,000 square foot supermarket back in 2019, but since then, it's gotten a major renovation. It was also rebranded from the Belfast Co-op Store to the Belfast Community Co-op.

When I visited, the produce department was on the left side, with meat and dairy behind it and frozen foods on the back wall. Deli, bakery, and prepared foods lined the right side wall of the store, with a cafe in the front-right corner.

I haven't been back since the renovation, but it looks like the layout mostly hasn't changed. Here's a look at the new exterior.

And the produce department after the remodel, which took place in 2024.

The store is deep and narrow, so the aisles are split in half front-to-back.

The first aisle is also home to the bulk department, a staple in many natural foods co-ops.

As a member of National Co-op Grocers, this store sells Field Day natural storebrand products from UNFI.

The service counters line the last aisle, and as you can see there are only four aisles here. Beer and wine were previously in the last aisle too, although they appear to have been moved (not sure where).

A coffee shop and cafe are in the front-right corner, and this area was extensively remodeled in the renovation.

The customer service counter then separates this corner from the front-end, with a few registers. The windows across the front of the store, which actually look to have been expanded in the renovation, are a nice addition.

Looking back into the grocery aisles...

I've come to really love these smaller co-ops across northern New England, and we'll continue to see plenty more in Maine and the other states up here.

Tomorrow, we're headed to The Market Report's final stop in Belfast before moving along!