THE TIME IS NEAR >>>

A friend referred to the Tacoma Food Co-op event we attended last night as "Natural-food-hippie-palooza." The humorous description is fairly on point. Natural food enthusiasts, supporters of the co-op and those seeking information gathered at Bluebeard Coffee and Cork Tuesday, June 28. Event attendees roamed freely between the two businesses and chatted up vendors while enjoying samples of gluten free breads, organic chocolate, all natural cookies, muesli, dips and spreads, Mad Hat teas ... you name it. Many featured products were those that will be for sale at the co-op. Music played, prizes were raffled off, kids ran about.

Most importantly, perhaps, organizers, vendors and co-op volunteers were on-hand for this "face-to-face with the community" opportunity. There was a lot of chatting, nodding, discussing and information being shared.

As Tacoma resident Crystal Gordon tasted vegan dips and baked tofus from Small Planet Organics of Vashon Island, she smiled. "I've had these before," she tells me, "just not around here."  Comments like this were repeated by others as they relaxed into the idea that products previously considered hard to find would soon be sold just down the street.

Former gallery owner Robert Stocker bought gluten-free brownie and bread mixes from Sevierly Good for his son. "Whenever I see good stuff, I grab it," he says. "My son can't have gluten and that limits what he gets to enjoy."

Ever the skeptic, I tried it out for myself and was very surprised at the texture and taste of the brownie sample. Thumbs up. I noticed two sets of pricing on some products; one regular and one discounted by roughly $1 or ten-percent for co-op members.

Maria Sevier of Sevierly Good says she's not sure what the actual discounts will be in the co-op, but she was extending a rounded 10-percent discount to members at last night's the event. Good to know membership does have a tangible, financial benefit beyond voting privileges and a newsletter. Of course, Tacoma Food Co-op vice president Casandra Gorell  points that out here.

The Tacoma Food Co-op has been in the works since 2006. From the outside looking in, it seems like it's been a struggle for TFC to raise funds, a struggle to find a location, and a struggle to get members. If TFC was a band, the first album would be titled Struggle.  You can read some of our coverage of the process here, here and here.

The culmination will come when the building at 3002 Sixth Avenue in Tacoma that currently houses Neighborhood Market opens its doors as the TFC on August 1.

Get your cloth shopping bags together, folks. The time is nearly upon us.

More information can be found at www.tacomafoodcoop.com