Category: News and updates

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.

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. 

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

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.

Read Here

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?

We are very proud of the work we did last year and would like to share it with you. Below is our 2024 impact report highlighting projects, collaborations, outreach and funding. As always, thanks for supporting BRED and our mission to help create a more equitable future for Baltimore City residents and business owners. Happy 2025!

If you have ever come to our events or seen an IG Reel, you’ve heard us mention Seed Commons several times. Seed Commons is the national network of non-extractive loan funds that BRED belongs to. If you want to learn more about Seed Commons, this video created during the All Network Gathering is perfect for you. We hosted all our peer funds here in Baltimore for three days of learning from and supporting each other. Enjoy!

Fresh Cup Magazine wrote an article about coffee cooperatives in Baltimore City and how the co-op ecosystem has grown over the last six years. It’s a good light read for these heavy times. Read here!

Picture this.

It’s Saturday morning. You’re drinking a cup of coffee, maybe eating a light breakfast, and learning all about cooperatives with curious minded people. Where are you? BRED’s 2025 Jumpstart taking place at Impact Hub!

Who is this event for? If you are co-op curious, a business owner that wants to sell to your employees, have a co-op and are interested in learning more about cooperative tools to implement in the day to day structure of running a co-op, this event is for you.

Join Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy for a fun-filled day of conversations and workshops about co-ops! Starting up, co-op basics, day-to-day decision making, business models, and so much more! We are ready to help you on your journey. March 8, 2025 10-4pm register here. Childcare available – apply here by March 1st.

Giving Tuesday is fast approaching and we’re hoping you support Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy! BRED was founded in 2015 to provide much-needed technical support and funding to support the cooperative economy here in Baltimore, and beyond. We know how important sustaining and growing a healthy business ecosystem is here in Baltimore City, and we know that cooperatives are a vital part of that health. We ask friends, supporters, and comrades to share this post and donate to our Donor Box today. We want to keep providing services and resources to Baltimore and you can help us do that.

Throughout the day we will be sharing and tagging stories of cooperatives in our network that we would also love your support. So check us out on Instagram , give us a follow and share these co-ops with your people!! Thanks for all your support!