Part of the latest Weaver Street Market newsletter states that Weaver Street Market has sold their property at the corner of Greensboro and Main Streets to Mark Pantlin of Raleigh. (This was the former location of WCOM and Community Realty.) Apparently they had high hopes for this high-profile property in the center of Carrboro, but finally resigned themselves to just taking the money and avoiding the hassle of a new venture and new development. I keep hearing the word "Walgreens" come up in discussions of this corner, so this makes me nervous.
A friend and I did a little research to see if we could find out more about this developer. Pantlin lives in Cary, and on a LinkedIn profile he says he is President of Pantlin Development. (But he only has one connection on LinkedIn, and the NC Dept of State says Pantlin Development was dissolved in 2009.) I found him on this neat CorporationWiki network map (at left), which also lists some other companies to which he may be related. It also looks like he donated to the Republican National Committee in 2001 and to George Bush in 1999.
Of more concern is the possibility of a national chain not just locating, but developing a lot (or multiple lots, probably) in the heart of Carrboro. Since it would be right across the street from an existing chain drug store, you can't even really argue that it's meeting some community need.
We thought turnout for the municipal elections in Carrboro was low, but word on the street is that the turnout for the board elections at Weaver Street Market is abyssmal. Apparently
even though many folks in Carrboro are members of the Weaver Street
Market cooperative, only a couple of hundred members actually vote in a
given election for the board. Considering there are probably 10,000+
members (educated guess based on the membership numbers i'm hearing people give at the register these days), that's a 1-2% turnout rate. Considering that the market is
arguably the soul and conscience of Carrboro, it's surprising
that so few people take a moment to learn about the candidates and take
the important step of voting.
This year we're hoping that changes. So
in an effort to promote voting of "consumer-owners", both candidates
for the board have written this piece to get the word out about the
voting, to tell you a little about ourselves, and to encourage each of
you to reach out to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to
vote as well.
Hi, I'm new to this site (which I was pleased to discover via google), and I have some questions regarding Carr Mill Mall/Weaver Street Market's policies.
Weaver Street Market is moving from discounts at the register to a
patronage dividend system, and the Board of Directors wants your
feedback and the opportunity to answer your questions. If you are
unable to attend this meeting, another will be held Sunday, May 31st
at 7pm in the Carrboro Century Center. Or, you can email our Board
directly at board@weaverstreetmarket.coop.
Weaver Street Market is moving from discounts at the register to a patronage dividend system, and the Board of Directors wants your feedback and the opportunity to answer your questions. If you are unable to attend this meeting, another will be held Wednesday, June 3 at 7pm in the Big Barn in Hillsborough. Or, you can email our Board directly at board@weaverstreetmarket.coop.
Weaver Street Market will change the way it rewards consumer owners. Starting at the end of June, consumer owners will receive a Patronage Dividend at the end of the year rather than a 5% discount on some products at the cash register. The co-op will also eliminate its 10% discount for senior citizens on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Like many businesses, Weaver Street Market is going through a difficult financial time; the change is expected to save the co-op $60,000 per month. “Changing from discounts to dividends, along with other changes that our staff is making, will put us back in the black,” said Dave Rizzo, Chair of the Board of Directors. The co-op is currently losing $65,000 a month primarily because sales are down 12% compared to last year in its Carrboro and Southern Village locations. The lower sales are due to the economy and increased competition.
Corner Building (corner of Weaver St and Greensboro St; aka WCOM or Community Realty building), Carrboro
The Agenda
for our May 20 Board Meeting includes major reports from the General
Manager on our financial position and on our Owner Investment and
Return policy. Both of these items have been out of compliance in
recent months and the GM will be reporting on his progress and plans to
get us back on track.
The Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the Community Realty building on the northwest corner of Weaver and Greensboro Streets in Carrboro. Meetings run from 6:30-9:30pm and all owners of the Co-op are welcome to attend as observers. To confirm an upcoming meeting, please contact the board here.
The Weaver Street Market Board of Directors will meet Wednesday December 17 at 201 North Greensboro Street downtown Carrboro at 6:15pm. The Board will seek to answer the question posed in last month's meeting: "How bad can it get?" This is regarding the negative cash flow in the last fiscal quarter.
In the last fiscal quarter, the worker-owners did not receive a dividend. Consumer-owners receive a dividend as a point-of-sale discount. Is this fair?
Basically, if you own a share in the Co-Op, this is the one Board meeting you need to attend! Contact WSM BoD Chair J. Myers at coffee_bar@weaverstreetmarket.coop to inform him you will attend (meal provided by Panzanella Restaurant) and to receive an emailed copy of the meeting agenda.
A friend and I did a little research to see if we could find out more about this developer. Pantlin lives in Cary, and on a LinkedIn profile he says he is President of Pantlin Development. (But he only has one connection on LinkedIn, and the NC Dept of State says Pantlin Development was dissolved in 2009.) I found him on this neat CorporationWiki network map (at left), which also lists some other companies to which he may be related. It also looks like he donated to the Republican National Committee in 2001 and to George Bush in 1999. 
