Common Market Co-op

The Common Market has been a part of the Frederick community since 1974. The store started out as a bulk buying club for area residents who wanted access to local food. This vision remains today and includes an expansion from one store on Buckeystown Pike to a second location on Seventh Street which opened in 2020.

“I think our success has been in staying true to what our original company values are and that really is providing access to the local food economy and connecting the consumers with those local food sources,” says marketing manager Susan Schulman.

While Common Market’s Seventh Street location is larger, both stores feature a café with made-to-order menu items as well as a salad bar, hot bar and ready-made cold offerings.

“We try really hard to make sure that the same products are available at both stores just so that a customer can go into either location and find” what they are looking for, Schulman says.

The co-op helps area farmers and business entrepreneurs within a 150-mile radius of Frederick get their products to a wider audience. Schulman notes there are many reasons to support local: reduce the carbon footprint for products, keep money in the local economy and lessen reliance on national or international supply chains.

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Common Market did not run out of products, unlike some of their national chain counterparts, because of the store’s ability to be flexible with transportation.

“We were buying from small suppliers where we could either send our truck up to get something or the local suppliers had a truck that could come to us,” she says.

Though there are nearly 8,000 owners, each one has the ability to effect change within the Common Market. “Whether it is requesting specific products or voting for the Board of Directors, everyone who owns an equity share of the business has a say in how the business is run and operated,” Schulman says.

When customers shop at either location, each purchase supports a local business, and helps to provide families with access to vibrant food that will fuel them for anything they need to accomplish.