Riverwest Co-op at risk of shutting down after 22 years of operation

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On the corner of Clarke and Fratney, there's a place that doesn't just nourish the body, it nourishes its community, too. 

The Riverwest Co-op Grocery and Cafe has been keeping its customers well-fed for more than 20 years. 

"It’s more than just a grocery store, it’s really a neighborhood gathering spot as well," said Jill Capicchioni, a board member of the co-op. “The money that you spend here at the co-op, you know goes back into the community.”

Now, the volunteer-run grocery store may be at risk of closure. 

“We haven’t been able to invest the dollars into the business," said Wendy Mesich, the volunteer coordinator for the co-op. 

Capicchioni says after the pandemic, it was hard to recover. 

"As COVID started to wane, we asked volunteers to come back, but we just didn’t get back to where we needed to be," said Capicchioni.

She says the co-op applied for a $150,000 loan to stay afloat but was denied. 

“Without getting additional funding, we’re several weeks away from either having to modify our store's hours and reduce staffing," said Capicchioni.

Now, the co-op is hoping to raise some money through a GoFundMe account and encouraging people to continue to shop at the co-op. 

“We’ve been letting our members and the neighbors know the struggles we’ve been going through the last few years," said Mesich.

It's money that may help keep the doors of the Riverwest staple open. 

If you'd like to donate to the Riverwest Co-op GoFundMe, click here.