Author: Nia Hunter
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2026 Worker-Owned Co-op Jumpstart
Worker cooperatives are more important than ever, and the Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy (BRED) Cooperative Jumpstart can give you the tools you need to go from ideation to creation. We can work together as a city and region to build a cooperative economy that makes ownership for everyone possible.
This day is geared towards those who might be co-op curious, or even potentially want to sell their business to their employees. Are you co-op curious?
Join BRED for a fun-filled day of conversations and workshops about the business of co-ops!
Topics we will cover include: Starting up, co-op governance, day-to-day decision making, conflict transformation, business models, and so much more! We are ready to help you on your journey.
Breakfast will be served by Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse, and lunch by Mera Kitchen Collective.
Registration is open, click HERE
Spanish interpretation will also be available.
**Childcare is available again this year! If you would like to have your children supervised at Impact Hub during the Jumpstart between 9:30 am and 5:00 pm on Saturday, April 11th, 2026, please complete this request form by April 8th, 2026! Parents and caregivers must also sign in and sign out during drop-off and pick-up times. They will be required to show photo ID at both drop-off and pick-up. Register HERE
**If you are interested in sharing contact information to stay connected with other attendees post Jumpstart, please do so HERE
baltimoreroundtable.org IG @bred.baltimore
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How Are Bookstores Connected to Organizing?
An article by Samantha Puc talks about how independent bookstores nationwide are leading efforts in community organizing. BRED co-ops, Red Emma and Firestorm Books are featured, along with several other amazing bookstores. To read the Publishers Weekly article click here.
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Red Emma’s Cooperative Featured In Prism Article
Costa Beavin Pappas writes an article about the importance of independant bookstores and the role they serve during these authoritarian times. One of the bookstores featured is none other than Baltimore’s favorite bookstore, restaurant, and event space, Red Emma’s.
https://prismreports.org/2025/11/11/independent-bookstores-literature-activism/
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Red Emma’s In The USA Today Top 10!
USA TODAY recently published the results of their Reader’s Choice Awards for top 10 independent bookstores. Out of all the independent bookstores in the nation, Red Emma’s came in 9th! Make sure when you stop by, you tell them congratulations!
Read more here!
Red Emma’s ranked #No. 9: for Best Independent Bookstore in the 2025 USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards
No. 9: Best Independent Bookstore
Named after 19th-century radical thinker Emma Goldman, Red Emma’s in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood is a worker-cooperative-run bookstore and cafe dedicated to sustainability and community engagement. The store stocks titles of every genre, with a wide-ranging collection of books on civil rights, revolutionary history, and activism. Red Emma’s frequently hosts speakers, community events, and author series, while the on-site restaurant offers a plant-based menu, coffee drinks, and a full wine and cocktail bar.
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Glass Recovery And Sustainable Systems (GRASS)
We want to be an example of what zero waste will look like Baltimore and beyond. At least 75% of what we dispose of is reusable, recyclable, and compostable, which means so many small businesses could and should be created in Charm City.
Lucky for us, glass is 100% recyclable!
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Village of Love And Resistance
VOLAR is co-creating a cooperative community in East Baltimore owned by Black and Brown people, through the reclamation of land, healing, reconnecting and building a base of community power.
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NASCO Co-op
North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) is an alliance of group-equity housing cooperatives helping to build a world where every community benefits from resident-controlled housing by educating and organizing youth and emerging leaders to create and cre for co-ops in the US and Canada. They have been educating and organizing an emerging generation of cooperators since ‘68!
