Gardiner Food Co-op - Gardiner, ME

Gardiner Food Co-op
Open: 2015-2023

Owner: cooperatively owned

Previous Tenants: unknown

Cooperative: none

Location: 269 Water St, Gardiner, ME

Photographed: June 18, 2022

Today, we're rounding out the week with a quick look inside the Gardiner Food Co-op. While we've seen a lot of food co-ops across New England, some of which are substantial and full supermarkets, this one was a small store. It only measured about 2200 square feet but was right on the main street here in Gardiner. Unfortunately, it closed after just a relatively short tenure, opening in 2015 and closing in 2023. My pictures here are from the summer of 2022.

The grocery store focused on natural foods and also had a small cafe. The member-owners of this store voted to close due to financial problems, they said in a sad and heartfelt Facebook post.

It's always sad to see an independent grocer closing, and particularly one that's cooperatively owned because it was a team effort to keep the store going. But many other thriving food co-ops remain across New England, and we still have plenty more to see as we travel through the region. On Monday, it's actually already time for our final Maine store, just across the river in Randolph. Enjoy the weekend!