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Originally incorporated in 1972 as "The Real Good Food Store," Food Front is Portland's second-oldest, surviving food cooperative. Having occupied a series of increasingly-larger spaces in NW Portland, its main store being its fourth building in that neighborhood. In summer of 2008, Food Front became the first cooperative in Portland to open a second store by stepping in to fill the void left by a shuttered Wild Oats in Hillsdale. Even before the second store, Food Front is the highest-grossing food co-op in Portland.

With approximately 6,000 owners at $150 per share, the NW store grossed approximately $6 million in 2007 out of just under 6000 retail square feet. The Hillsdale store, at approximately the same size, is expected to perform similarly within a few years. Food Front uses a fairly conventional "general manager" structure for operations, with almost no volunteers. Governance is by an elected board of directors, who use the Carver "policy governance" model to set policy and monitor management.

Contact Information for Food Front Co-Op

Food Front Cooperative Grocery

2375 NW Thurman Street
Portland OR 97210

(503) 222-5658
http://FoodFront.coop

Food Front Co-op Hillsdale
6344 SW Capitol Highway
Portland OR 97201

(503) 546-6559

For Further Information

• http://FoodFront.coop
• "Co-op Turns Neighborhood Loss into Second Store" by Tom Mattox. Cooperative Grocer #140:8-9, January-February 2009.
• Hillsdale: Celebration Set at new Food Front," by Jessica Machado. The Oregonian. September 30, 2008.
• "Food Front Grocery Store Comes to Hillsdale." Daily Journal of Commerce, September 30, 2008.
• Hillsdale welcomes Food Front with support, co-op members: Grocery cooperative exceeds its expectations when it moves into former Wild Oats space," by Peter Korn. The Portland Tribune, Sep 17, 2008.
• "Food Front Brings Co-op Store to Hillsdale: Group will spend $1.1 million to renovate former Wild Oats space," by Peter Korn, The Portland Tribune, May 8, 2008.
• "Walk in Like You Own the Place: Rediscovering Portland's Cooperative Grocery Stores" by Lola Milholland. Edible Portland, Winter 2008.
• Remember Food Co-ops? Portland's Still Flourishes," by Aliza Earnshaw. Portland Business Journal, August 25, 2000.