Clifton Market Opens in Cincinnati

After three years of planning and financing, Clifton Market, a co-op in Cincinnati, finally opened its doors on Jan. 26. The market’s 1,500 shareholders received a $1.875 million loan from Hillsboro, Ohio-based National Cooperative Bank (NCB) to finance the purchase of the former Keller’s IGA, and another $1.1 million loan for equipment. In total, the store was a $5.6 million project that was a collaborative effort among NCB, Shared Capital Cooperative, Finance Fund and the market’s shareholders.

“Opening Clifton Market is a huge success for our community,” said Marilyn Hyland, board member and director of marketing for Clifton Market. “The collaborative effort from everyone involved has been the reason our store took less than three years to open -- a huge achievement for a new food co-op.  We look forward to serving our Cincinnati community now and in the future.”

Clifton Market features the Busy Bee Café, a juice bar, a bakery, a salad bar, a variety of prepared foods, and Brewery District, which offers local craft beers and a growler station. The store employees 81 people.

The three-day opening celebration included two treasure hunts – one for children and one for kids at heart – a Black Tie to Blue Jeans Gala with live music and dancing, and a parade featuring all 135 grocery carts, which led customers into the store.