The Common Market Co-Op
The Common Market Co-Op is a member-owned cooperative grocery and café operating two Frederick, Maryland locations, selling natural and organic foods sourced from local farms within 200 miles. Founded in 1974, it serves Frederick-area consumers through retail, café, catering, classes, and community programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersFrederick, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Common Market Co-Op does
The Common Market Co-Op is a member-owned cooperative grocery and café operating two retail locations in Frederick, Maryland — at 5728 Buckeystown Pike (Route 85) and 927 W 7th Street — founded in 1974. The core offer is a full-service natural and organic grocery (produce, meat and seafood, dairy, cheese, bulk foods, grocery, and wellness departments) with an on-site café serving sandwiches, soups, grain bowls, smoothies, coffee, and baked goods at both locations, supplemented by a catering service, a seasonal ballpark food vendor operation (Common Market At The Park at Nymeo Field), special orders, community room rentals, and a slate of classes and events. Products and ingredients are sourced from sustainable local farmers and producers within a 200-mile radius, and the co-op formalizes its mission through a three-tiered bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit.
The underlying technology is standard retail grocery infrastructure: point-of-sale systems, inventory management, and a website with e-commerce. Online grocery ordering is delivered through an Instacart integration, online café ordering through ChowNow, class registration through MindBody Online, newsletter and event marketing through Constant Contact, board governance and candidate information sessions via Zoom, and calendar publishing through Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365, and Outlook Live feeds. No proprietary technology, custom platform, or meaningful software assets are evidenced beyond these off-the-shelf integrations.
The revenue model is predominantly transactional across eight streams: retail grocery sales, café and food service, catering, special orders, community room rentals, classes and events, and gift cards. This is layered with a one-time equity membership fee of $200 (or eight quarterly installments of $25) that grants lifetime owner status, with benefits including three annual Owner Appreciation Days (10% discount in February, June, and October), a 5% senior discount on Wednesdays for customers aged 60+, patronage rebates in profitable years, community room rental discounts, and voting rights to elect the Board of Directors. The primary customer segments are general Frederick-area consumers, co-op owners/members, seniors, and local farmers/producers, with a hybrid segmentation approach anchored in physical retail and community engagement.
The Common Market Co-Op firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Common Market Co-Op
- Legal name
- The Common Market Co-Op
- Website
- https://commonmarket.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Common Market Co-Op is a member-owned cooperative grocery and café operating two Frederick, Maryland locations, selling natural and organic foods sourced from local farms within 200 miles. Founded in 1974, it serves Frederick-area consumers through retail, café, catering, classes, and community programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Common Market Co-Op industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cooperative Grocery Store
- NAICS
- Food and Beverage Retailers (445), Specialty Food Retailers (4452)
- SIC
- Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers (CRAHAEAJ), Food Co-ops with In-Store Prepared Foods & Deli (CRAHALAF), Food Co-ops with Online Ordering & Pickup/Delivery (CRAHALAH)
Keywords
Where The Common Market Co-Op is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frederick
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Common Market Co-Op business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Grocery Sales: Sale of natural and organic food products including produce, meat, seafood, dairy, cheese, bulk foods, grocery items, and wellness products across two store locations in Frederick, MD.
- Café and Food Service: On-site café operations offering quality sandwiches, soups, salad bar, smoothies, coffee, baked goods, and made-to-order grain bowls. Café orders placed through ChowNow online ordering system.
- Catering Services: Common Market Catering provides food preparation services for events and parties.
- Special Orders: Special order service allowing customers to request specific products, with owners receiving a 12% discount on special orders.
- Membership/Ownership Fees: One-time equity share of $200 for ownership in the co-op, with optional payment plan of eight quarterly payments of $25. Lifetime membership with benefits.
- Community Room Rentals: Community rooms available for reservation at both locations for owners, with discounts on rental fees.
- Classes and Events: Educational and community events including cooking classes, yoga, music sessions, and workshops. Some classes are free/donation-based while others have fees ranging from $30-$80.
- Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards in any amount, including special ownership gift cards redeemable for co-op membership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Ownership Equity Share |
| Other | Annual | Owner Appreciation Day Discount |
| Other | Monthly | Senior Discount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Common Market Co-Op product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Common Market Co-Op is a member-owned cooperative grocery store operating two retail locations in Frederick, Maryland. It sells natural and organic foods sourced within 200 miles, and operates an in-store café, a catering service, community classes, and room rentals. Customers can shop in-store, order online via Instacart, place café orders through ChowNow, and become co-op owners through a one-time $200 equity share.
Product overview
The Common Market Co-Op operates as a community-owned grocery and café business with two physical store locations in Frederick, MD. The core offering is a full-service grocery store specializing in natural and organic foods sourced from local farmers within 200 miles. The business operates on a platform model with the grocery and café as the primary revenue drivers, supported by e-commerce via Instacart, catering services, and specialty departments including meat & seafood, produce, bulk foods, cheese & dairy, and wellness. The co-op also offers community programming through classes and events in its Community Rooms, and maintains an owner membership program that provides equity ownership in the cooperative with associated benefits.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Common Market Grocery & Café
- E-Commerce & Instacart Ordering
Companies that use The Common Market Co-Op
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Common Market Co-Op technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
The Common Market Co-Op partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Common Market Co-Op competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Natural Grocers (Vitamin Cottage): A national chain specializing in natural and organic groceries with hundreds of locations. Operates in the same product category but as a larger publicly-traded incumbent rather than a member-owned co-op.
- Sprouts Farmers Market: A large specialty grocer focused on natural and organic products with hundreds of stores across the U.S. Operates as a broad incumbent in the natural foods retail space that competes for the same health-conscious shopper segment.
- New Seasons Market: A Pacific Northwest-based natural and organic grocery chain with cafés, community programming, and strong local sourcing. Larger than The Common Market Co-Op but operates with a similar local-organic ethos and in-store café model.
Direct peers
- PCC Community Markets: One of the largest member-owned food cooperatives in the U.S., operating multiple stores across the Seattle area with a strong focus on organic, local, and sustainably sourced products. Direct comparable to The Common Market Co-Op's member-owned natural foods grocery model.
- Wheatsville Food Co-op: A member-owned food co-op operating two stores in Austin, TX with grocery, deli, café, and community programming. Closely comparable in scale, footprint, and member-ownership structure to The Common Market Co-Op.
- Weaver Street Market: A consumer-owned food co-op operating multiple stores in North Carolina with grocery, café, and community programming. Highly comparable in size and member-owned natural foods positioning.
- The Wedge Co-op: A member-owned grocery co-op in Minneapolis with a focus on organic, local, and natural products. Comparable cooperative ownership model and natural foods assortment.
- Seward Co-op: A member-owned cooperative grocery with multiple locations in the Minneapolis area offering natural and organic products, café, and community programming. Directly comparable in cooperative governance and natural foods retail model.
- Davis Food Co-op: A community-owned food cooperative in Davis, California offering natural and organic groceries with café and community programs. Similar in scale and member-owned structure to The Common Market Co-Op.
Regional players
- MOM's Organic Market: A Mid-Atlantic-based natural and organic grocery chain with locations across the DC, Maryland, Virginia region. Operates in the same geography as The Common Market Co-Op and competes for similar natural/organic shoppers, though as a conventional (non-cooperative) retailer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Common Market Co-Op social profiles
Digital presenceThe Common Market Co-Op financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Common Market Co-Op leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Common Market Co-Op funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Common Market Co-Op M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Common Market Co-Op
What does The Common Market Co-Op do?
The Common Market Co-Op is a member-owned cooperative grocery store operating two retail locations in Frederick, Maryland. It sells natural and organic foods sourced within 200 miles, and operates an in-store café, a catering service, community classes, and room rentals. Customers can shop in-store, order online via Instacart, place café orders through ChowNow, and become co-op owners through a one-time $200 equity share.
Is The Common Market Co-Op a public or private company?
The Common Market Co-Op is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was The Common Market Co-Op founded?
The Common Market Co-Op was founded in 1974.
Where is The Common Market Co-Op based?
The Common Market Co-Op is headquartered in Frederick, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Common Market Co-Op make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Retail Grocery Sales are the primary driver. The others are café and Food Service, catering Services, special Orders, membership/Ownership Fees, community Room Rentals, classes and Events and gift Cards.
Who are The Common Market Co-Op's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Natural Grocers (Vitamin Cottage), Sprouts Farmers Market and New Seasons Market. Direct peers are PCC Community Markets, Wheatsville Food Co-op, Weaver Street Market, The Wedge Co-op, Seward Co-op and Davis Food Co-op. MOM's Organic Market is listed as a regional player.
Does The Common Market Co-Op have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Common Market Co-Op.
What industry is The Common Market Co-Op in?
The Common Market Co-Op's product category is Cooperative Grocery Store. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHALAA, Member-Owned Food Cooperatives, with a secondary code of CRAHAEAJ, Natural/Organic Food Co-ops & Community Natural Grocers. Its NAICS code is 445 and its SIC code is 5411.