News From the General Manager

—by Kari Neathery

Thanks to you we had several record-breaking sales days around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. It was wonderful to see the full parking lot and the crowded store.

We still have a good selection of hats, gloves, mittens, and socks for this nippy weather, below zero as I write. Take heart, we have ordered plants for the May Day sale, in preparation for warm weather that is sure to come.

We are very excited to welcome our new first-floor tenants, the Vienna Community Arts School. The school is a non-profit, family-run educational organization made up of professional musicians and educators. Vienna Arts is operated by Hampden Park Co-op members Herbert Engelmayer and Nancy Sogabe.

If you know of anyone who needs a nice sunny space to work in, we have a 500-square-foot space available upstairs.

Our Facebook® page has come alive in the last month due in large part to the contributions of board member Brian Corner. Please be sure to “friend” Hampden Park Co-op to see the latest in specials as well as interesting articles about Fibonacii spirals, pomelos and the wonders of Biokleen as a bike chain degreaser.

We are in the process of building an e-mail list to help us communicate with you on a regular basis. No, not every day. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you, but if we do you are welcome to unsubscribe. Our membership coordinator has used e-mailing to great success for finding volunteer cashiers; we hope you will find our additional communications helpful.

As always, please feel free to chat with me or other staff if you have questions or requests.

Happy shopping!