My faith in and commitment to the co-op movement is greatly rooted in witnessing Outpost Natural Foods of Milwaukee succeed.

I would like to contribute to the development of a “book” about Outpost of Milwaukee by encouraging people to share Outpost stories at an on-line location. Here is one place we could start.

I’m told Arlene was one of the early founders of the Outpost Natural Foods Co-op. Hopefully one of us will interview her for her Outpost Story.

Here are some early photos Executive Director Pam Mehnert has uploaded.

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We believe the pictures of folks shopping are from the Locust Street store circa 1977–79. If anyone has earlier pictures, it would be great to see them posted and/or shared with Outpost.

Tom Schneider

If you are looking for information about Outpost, there is a section(pages 137 - 146) in the book Riverwest: A Community History, written by Tom Tolan and published by COA Youth & Family Centers in 2003. The book was on sale at Outpost, Beans & Barley, Schwartz Bookstores, the Riverwest Coop, and at COA.

Tom Schneider
Executive Director
COA Youth & Family Center

Tom Schmitt

I first started shopping at Outpost in 1975. I was new to living alone and knew nothing about cooking. I could make sandwiches and bake cookies. I only made meatless dishes since I didn’t know enough to avoid food poisoning. I knew almost nothing.

But I assembled a list of ingredients from recipes I thought I’d like to try. I searched the Yellow Pages (no internet back then) and made a few calls. Then I called Outpost. The worker who answered the call was very patient with me, while I asked him how much various things cost at Outpost. I then asked him about one particular herb. After e told me the price (I was shocked how it compared to other stores), I asked him if different spices had different prices. Well, you can probably imagine how flabbergasted he was, but he was very polite and helpful.

I eventually asked him how I could be confident that I wasn’t going to be paying too much for things at Outpost compared to other stores. That’s when he explained to me how Outpost worked. So I decided to come in and give it a try. That was when Outpost was still on Locust Street and there was a step at the door. But someone always came along and helped me get my wheelchair inside and out. That was over 30 years ago and I still can’t imagine a world without Outpost.

Peace
Tom

Curry First

I hit road for 4 wks tomorrow but make sure upon return offer up; member
over 3 decades, past bd member and have somewhere invaluable receipe for
Outpost famous guerrila coookies. Keep Godsil doing this community work;
don’t let this wonderful person rest Curry

Michael Moynihan

My relationship to Outpost Foods goes back about 36 years to the original Outpost. Actually pre-Outpost. Back then I was engaged in doing the impossible. (Mostly because I was ignorant that what I wanted to do was impossible)

So each year we would create an original music - comedy - circus arts - giant puppets - agitprop - satirical - outdoor theatre production. We’d have raise $30,000 to $40,000 (man now it would mean probably$150,000) to be able to hire some pros and some amateurs, and some intern kids and spend 5 weeks training, creating and rehearsing and then performing throughout the community, all free-to-the-public.

One day we would be in a County park, another at a Festival, another on an empty lot on 3rd & brown (playing for neighborhood kids who, while talking and doing workshops after the show, would inform us that they had NEVER been to any Lake Michigan beach).

During one of these shows a man named Art Blair happened upon us. Art was on his way somewhere from someplace else.
But When he saw the show (as he later told me), he thought,
“If something like this can happen in Milwaukee, then anything is possible.”

And so, due to the chance encounter, Art decided to stay here.
Art was interested in starting a local food cooperative.
He became one of the handful of early volunteers that started what eventually became Outpost.

If you go back over 30 years you’ll recall Art as the first editor of the Outpost Exchange. After he left Outpost he was doing some video work, if I recall. I have no idea of where he is now.

As Lou Reed sang, “those were different times”. “Natural” and “organic were not yet advertising/marketing buzz words back then. They actually meant something. And in addition to having to bring your own bags & containers, the products were very reasonably priced.

Michael John Moynihan
“If you’ve heard this story before, don’t stop me, because I’d like to hear it again.” - Groucho Marx