Blue Apron and its ilk string up local business

opinions

August 9, 2017 - 12:00 AM

You know it’s an uphill battle for Moran’s market to survive when sales for Blue Apron, an online food delivery business, have increased 133 percent in one year’s time.
Blue Apron is the fastest growing retail business in the world today. Its premise is to deliver meals to your doorsteps — some assembly required.
Amazon has also entered the meal kit market, which some say has caused Blue Apron’s stock to drop.
The kits come with the ingredients to make a mouth-watering meal. Dinner for two ranges from $20 to $40.
The lure is that it saves time and energy.
Oh, us poor overworked people. We have so much on our minds that we can’t possibly think about what to make for dinner. We are so busy, so overwhelmed, that driving to market is simply too much.
We are so rich, that we don’t think about spending 10 times more than necessary for a meal.
We are so clueless, that we don’t consider that a business based in California is robbing that of an Iola, Moran or Humboldt merchant.

MORAN’S plight is the most desperate.
Faced with the imminent closing of Stub’s Market, locals are trying to raise funds to turn it into a cooperative owned by area investors.
This Marmaton Market Co-op would feature not only typical fare but also locally grown fruits and vegetables — an advantage over national chains like Walmart, for sure.
Most important, the cooperative would help ensure Moran, population 558, continues as a viable community.
As Moran resident Larry Manes opined, the three legs of every viable community are its school, post office and grocery store.
Membership for the Marmaton Market Cooperative are $100, but with a goal of raising $200,000 to purchase and outfit the grocery, organizers are hoping people will open their wallets a little wider.
Even if you never shop at the Marmaton Market, investing in it is an investment in Allen County.
Think of it as an early Christmas present.
For more information, you can email volunteers at [email protected] or visit their Facebook page.
Oh, and dig out a cookbook.

— Susan Lynn

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