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.
Author: Nia Hunter
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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!
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BRED Leads Cooperative Statute All The Way
We did it! The Maryland Cooperative Statute has passed!!! It has been signed by the Governor and will go into effect on October 1, 2026!
Our project steward, Anna Evans-Goldstein, took initiative and cultivated the Maryland Limited Worker Cooperative Association Act. This meant a lot of drafts, meetings, conversations, connections, trips to Annapolis, and time. We are so proud of the work Anna has done on this, and are happy to be a part of getting this bill passed.
A huge thank you goes out to the many cooperative members and supporters who contacted their elected representatives to push for this landmark legislation!
From Anna:
Thank you so much to all of you who wrote letters, made calls, and showed up to testify. This bill would not have passed without the overwhelming support of the cooperative community in Maryland. We truly showed what it is to be a community that supports each other – cooperatives supporting cooperatives – a shining example of the sixth cooperative principle.
A special thank you to our champions in the Maryland State Legislature, Legislature includes: Senator Mary Washington , Delegates Lili Qi, and Delegate Lorig Charkoudian. Please take a moment to reach out to them by email or by phone to express our heartfelt thank you for championing this bill. And thank you to our partners who helped with bill drafting and support: the University of Baltimore Community Development Law Clinic and the Public Justice Center.
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The Real News Podcast Talks Baltimore Co-ops
Maximillian Alvarez moderated a panel talking to some Baltimore City folks who are part of the worker-owned cooperative ecosystem. Listen to what it’s like to operate a co-op, the history of how these worker-owners came to their cooperative, and how BRED is part of that process. The Real News Podcast
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The Revival of The Democratic Workplace In Baltimore
Photo by Casey McKeel Did you know that Baltimore has a multi-century history of co-ops? In These Times published an article about the current revival of co-ops, highlighting conversations with baristas who co-own some of the best cooperatives in Baltimore.
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Co-op Conversion Spotlight On WYPR
One of the things we do here at BRED, is help workers keep their jobs when a business is being sold. How do we do that? It’s called a cooperative conversion. This is when we help the business owner sell the business to the employees, and they all become worker-owners, and the business becomes a co-op! A while ago, WYPR wrote an article about employees taking over their businesses, you can read it here —> Toss your boss to the curb. What happens when workers take over?
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The Wine Source
We are the premier destination for fine wine, beer, spirits, and specialty foods in Baltimore, Maryland. Twenty years in the making and independently owned, we began as a small shop called Rotunda Wine & Spirits just a few blocks from our current home on Elm Avenue. An unwavering commitment to quality, selection, and customer service has allowed us to grow, serving the Hampden neighborhood and beyond.
The Wine Source team is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, curated selection and expert advice in every category while remaining a friendly, neighborhood spot. Whether you are seeking supplies for a delicious night at home, gems for special occasions, or everyday essentials, stop by and see us – we have you covered.
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Anytime Taxi
This is Anytime Taxi
Using highly trained and committed drivers who have an ownership stake in the cooperative and state-of-the-art dispatch, we aim to transform taxi service in Montgomery County to increase customer service, driver income, and accessibility for all.
MontCo Union Taxi Co-operative is a project of the Montgomery County Professional Drivers Union, an affiliate of the National Taxi Workers Alliance, AFL-CIO.
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Ceremony Piercing
What is Ceremony Piecing?
Ceremony Piercing & Fine Jewelry
is a worker-owned, queer-owned cooperative
committed to offering safe piercing practices with the industry’s highest quality materials.We’re dedicated to redefining our industry by
prioritizing ethical practices, continuing
education, community engagement, and the
health and safety of clients and staff alike. -
Common Ground Bakery Cafe
A little about Common Ground:
At Common Ground, we believe that being a food service provider today means owning a much larger responsibility to the health and well-being of people and the world in which we live.
Through worker democracy, we are dedicated to promoting the well-being of our environment, our community, and our fellow workers – especially those who face further oppression on the basis of race, gender, ability, sexuality, or other marginalized status.
We also aim to strengthen solidarity and relationships with other organizing workers, established cooperatives, and our neighbors to further build a world where the needs of people are prioritized over the profits of business.
Our beverage, food, community events, and other projects are crafted to the best of our abilities with all of these objectives in mind.