Big River Grocery Timeline
At the heart of our story is a shared commitment to:
Establish a sustainable, community-owned grocery store in Helena, Arkansas.
Ensure access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food for all residents.
Create a vibrant community gathering place that supports local food entrepreneurship and education.
2022
Idea for Big River Grocery born
Local residents of Helena brainstormed the idea of bringing a grocery store with healthy food to downtown Helena.
2024
The Vision Takes Root
Big River Grocery received a $150,000 Healthy Food Financing Initiative planning grant to explore the development of a full-service, cooperatively owned grocery store in downtown Helena. The grant supported site planning, co-op development, market analysis, community outreach, and early capital campaign work.
2025
A Home for the Vision
A historic piece of Helena's story became part of its future when the First Presbyterian Church building was donated to become the future home of Big River Grocery. The 1925 building provides approximately 6,500 square feet for the grocery store, along with additional space that can support community uses and generate revenue.
The Community Comes Together
At the first Downtown Summit, community members got their first opportunity to envision the historic church as a grocery store. Soon afterward, local residents came together to establish the Big River Grocery Steering Committee, creating the volunteer leadership structure that would guide the co-op's early development.
Building the Foundation
The Steering Committee established its working structure and formalized Big River Grocery's purpose: to establish a sustainable retail food cooperative in Helena, Arkansas. Committees began tackling the legal, financial, membership, leadership, events, and community engagement work needed to move the project forward.
Learning How to Build a Co-op
BRG began connecting with food-co-op experts and learning from other communities that are building community-owned grocery stores. The Steering Committee also worked with 7 Roots Group to explore the future store layout, products, services, and use of the historic building.
Bringing the Vision Into the Community
Big River Grocery began showing up beyond committee meetings through community outreach, education, events, and fundraising. The Holiday Market brought vendors and community members into the future store space, giving people an opportunity to gather, learn about BRG, and begin seeing what the building could become.
2026
Connecting to Resources
BRG entered a new phase focused on turning planning into implementation. The Steering Committee joined a national Food Co-op Initiative peer learning group and began connecting with statewide experts in cooperative development, business, and law to help determine the best path forward.
Building Community Ownership
BRG is now working to grow its community of future member-owners, develop the Solidarity Fund, gather ongoing community feedback, build partnerships, and create opportunities for people to participate in the project before the doors open.
2026 & Beyond — From Vision to Reality
The work ahead is about putting the pieces in place: incorporating the cooperative, raising capital, developing the building, growing membership, strengthening operations, and preparing for the day Big River Grocery opens its doors.
The vision is simple: a sustainable, community-owned grocery store in downtown Helena—built by the community, for the community.
Working Project Timeline
This working project timeline allows the community to keep up with what Big River Grocery is doing behind the scenes.