Work is under way to transform the historic McFadden Market and Exchange Bank building in downtown Meridian into an organic food co-op and deli.
McFadden Market Co-op co-founder Ward Schwider, a Boise architect, plans to open the co-op by Christmas.
The building at 2nd Street and Broadway Avenue is across the street from Meridian Development Corporation's new mixed-use project, The Hub, in the former H&H Building. MDC is working to add streetscape improvements, like benches and planters, and to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
"We envision this becoming the heart of the 2nd and Broadway Historic District," said Schwider.
Crews are stripping plaster, repairing bricks and preparing to install new windows, said Schwider, who wants to maintain as much of the original building as possible. For example, the original bank vault will become part of the deli.
The idea of a food cooperative came about when Schwider, who also is a sheep shearer, began to talk with some of his sheep-shearing customers about the need for a co-op in Meridian.
"Everyone thinks it's a great idea," Schwider said, "with gas becoming more expensive, people would like to have another cooperative market that emphasizes organic, pesticide-free and ecologically sound products closer than Downtown Boise.
"There is also a community of people who appreciate the nostalgia of the country store atmosphere and another who are interested in buying locally and encouraging our local agriculture," he said.
The idea gelled, and soon the group was drafting bylaws, setting up a membership program and lining up vendors.
"Our focus now is to increase our membership and raise capital for the market," Schwider said.
The co-op's other founding members include: Deb McGrath, a Nampa bakery chef; Bart Rayne, a Homedale organic farmer; Janell Lester, from Vogel Farms in Kuna; John McCarthy, a Boise developer; and Margo Whale, a marketer from Kuna.
Cynthia Sewell: 377-6428
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