Ethical Community Organizations of Edmonton

A community fixture for eco-conscious Edmontonians

For more than 30 years, Earth’s General Store has forged a path as an institution for environmentally conscious and eco-friendly consumers in Edmonton. So when it came time for longtime owner Michael Kalmanovitch to move on to other ventures, the store was at a crossroads. It was an important part of the community, in need of new leadership to keep it alive.

Netta Johnson was one of Earth’s many dedicated customers. When she learned of Kalmanovitch’s plans, she decided to take action.

“Earth’s General Store has meant a lot to me and my family over the last 20 years. It’s enabled us to reduce our impact, and our waste, which is a really hard thing to do, I find,” she says.

“When Michael started talking about how he was needing to move on, I felt like if there was something I could do to help the store stay around, that it was worth the scariness of taking that responsibility on.”

Johnson banded together with a few other community-minded individuals to form the Ethical Community Organizations of Edmonton (ECOE), a non-profit group dedicated to preserving socially valuable businesses. Working with SEF, the group secured operating capital for Earth’s General Store. The goal, she explains, was to keep building on the store’s legacy, and allow future generations to keep building community around the store, just as she and her colleagues at ECOE had before.

“This whole new generation is made up of very conscious consumers who want to be a part of something beyond just providing a product, but caring where it comes from and what went into it being created,” she says.

“I want to make sure this can carry forward so a whole new generation of families can enjoy it, can be inspired by it.”

Although ECOE has only been operating Earth’s General Store for less than a year, Johnson admits the road hasn’t been easy. Rising prices and inflation have had an impact on the grocery business, and she explains the non-profit management structure may see further revisions down the road.

“’I think it’s fair to say we would all like to figure out how to have the store be a co-op, but we haven’t yet been in a position to undertake that,” she says.

“My sense is that Michael took on the responsibility of this store for the community. But it would be great if that community actually owned the store, so that everyone who works and is invested in it being there, can have a say in what is going on.”

While the future of Earth’s General Store may look different than once thought, Johnson has hope for what’s to come.

“I think of Earth’s General as really the flagship environmental store in Edmonton. So at a time where climate change is on everyone’s mind for all sorts of reasons, it seems like Earth’s General in itself should be a sustainable institution,” she says.