More than just a grocery store

While the primary purpose of Big River Grocery is to bring healthy, fresh, and affordable food to downtown Helena, it is also about providing access to other opportunities that were identified in the “What’s Missing from Downtown?” survey.

  • Big River Grocery aims to provide part-time positions that will be great first jobs for young people, especially college students. These roles are part of the broader commitment to creating "dignified, living-wage job opportunities" within the community, which also includes benefits, profit-sharing options for full-time employees, along with professional training and paths for advancement.

  • Investment means contributing resources (time and/or money) to something that will provide a return on the investment. Big River Grocery allows community members to become member-owners of the co-op which allows them to participate in designing a store that is of, by, and for the community. The return on investment could include any number of positive outcomes such as:

    • quality of life improvements

    • Improved social connections

    • physical and mental health

    • monetary gains both direct and indirect

  • Beyond direct grocery store employment, the project will include leased spaces for "bolt-on-businesses" such as a florist, bakery, and coffee shop. These micro-businesses create additional entrepreneurial opportunities for local residents, potentially providing access to a certified kitchen for safe food preparation and packaging, allowing local food entrepreneurs to sell their items directly from the store shelves.

Jobs

Big River Grocery aims to provide part-time positions that will be great first jobs for young people, especially college students. These roles are part of the broader commitment to creating "dignified, living-wage job opportunities" within the community, which also includes benefits, profit-sharing options for full-time employees, along with professional training and paths for advancement.

Investment

Investment means contributing resources (time and/or money) to something that will provide a return on the investment. Big River Grocery allows community members to become member-owners of the co-op which allows them to participate in designing a store that is of, by, and for the community. The return on investment could include any number of positive outcomes such as:

Entrepreneurship

Beyond direct grocery store employment, the project will include leased spaces for "bolt-on-businesses" such as a florist, bakery, and coffee shop. These micro-businesses create additional entrepreneurial opportunities for local residents, potentially providing access to a certified kitchen for safe food preparation and packaging, allowing local food entrepreneurs to sell their items directly from the store shelves.