Category: News and updates

  • A New BRED Event Series

    Solidarity economy, but make it breakfast! Announcing a new morning solidarity economy series – with free breakfast – hosted by us! Come out on Thursday, May 21 at 9AM for a coffee and bagels and a conversation about what solidarity economy looks like in practice, with a focused look at black-led, black-centered, solidarity economy enterprises in Baltimore and beyond! Featuring Rodney Foxworth, social entrepreneur, executive advisor, and impact investor at the intersection of business strategy, community development finance, economic inclusion, and philanthropic innovation. Come and check it out! Registration via Eventbrite See you there!

  • 2025 Impact Report

    Thank you for supporting cooperatives in Baltimore and the surrounding areas.

  • 2026 Worker-Owned Co-op Jumpstart

    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

  • EnviroCollab Reflects On Their Cooperative Conversion

    EnviroCollab Reflects On Their Cooperative Conversion

    https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2025/11/19/a-thousand-percent-worth-it-a-cooperative-tells-its-conversion-story
  • 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.

  • 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/

  • BRED presents to the Baltimore City Council, highlighting the impact of worker cooperatives

    BRED presents to the Baltimore City Council, highlighting the impact of worker cooperatives

    Thanks to City Council President Zeke Cohen, BRED was invited to present to the City Council during a luncheon on October 20th. We brought a panel of worker-owners from three different local cooperatives to share their stories, showing the councilmembers and city staff present how economic democracy is changing lives and strengthening communities in Baltimore:

    Yessenia Lidz of Waterbottle Co-op:

    Vinny Green of Taharka Brothers:

    Caitlin O’Connor of The Wine Source:

    We also presented our recommendations to the City Council for three municipal policies and practices that could help accelerate and deepen Baltimore’s already impressive ecosystem for worker cooperative development:

  • Red Emma’s In The USA Today Top 10!

    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

      Photo courtesy of Red Emma's / Casey McKeel

    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.