TPSS Co-op

I just moved to this area (Silver Spring) and managed to shop for basic things. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to shop here more than once. I went to buy something today and found out that it is now CLOSED FOR GOOD :(

Stopped in today for a few things and while they did not have everything on my list, I did some quick price comparisons and was impressed at the difference in price between the items they did have that I normally buy at another big market in town. Nice surprise because coconut aminos being almost $ 2 less at a smaller market is a great thing. As noted, not a huge store but well stocked and the space is well used. We picked up a lovely basil and goat cheese ravioli to have for dinner as well as the few items we needed and I’m filling out my membership application as soon as I’m done typing. We’ll go check out the second store this weekend!

I really like this place! They have a pretty wide selection of items/​brands and the staff is extremely friendly and knowledgable. While I must admit that they don’t have everything that I want and could find at a larger chain store located not so far away that shall remain nameless, I just feel better about spending my money here b/​c it’s a co-​op and a local business.

they have 2 locations — one in takoma park & one in silver spring. the takoma park location is small & they make every space count, while the silver spring location is spacious in comparison. however, it’s much easier to find an easy parking spot at the takoma spot than silver spring. they have a special once a month on the first thursday. to become a member you must pay a refundable $ 100 deposit. the biggest reason i love this place aside from offering sustainable food are their prices on kombucha. i love the stuff & it’s very expensive in other stores while not cheap here, it’s actually affordable. plus, my boyfriend loves the milk that comes in glass bottles (aka «hippy milk» as he calls it).

I feel very lucky to live a couple blocks from this cozy, well-​stocked neighborhood co-​op. The produce is beautiful, and they have just about everything on my grocery list. (If you have special dietary needs, this is your spot. For instance, they stock lots of gluten-​free and dairy-​free options.)
Most of the folks who work here are knowledgeable and efficient… and I generally find them to be warmer, friendlier and more down-​to-​earth than the folks at the Takoma location.
I’m proud to be part-​owner of this Silver Spring institution.

Please send ALL of the staff from the Silver Spring location to the Takoma Park one to train them how to be: nice, smile, helpful, friendly, and proactive.
Nice variety of yummy healthy stuff!

The Silver Spring Food Co-​op has a few plusses and minuses when compared with its sister store in Takoma Park.
On the plus side it has a nice tucked away location away from heavy traffic. It’s well organized and easy to get through in ten minutes flat, start to finish. Try doing that in your standard size grocery store. Prices are great (frequent sales), though sometimes the produce can be a bit of a stumper. The place does get crowded, but never so much that it’s a hassle. Veggie products (and meat) galore. Lots of local products and the signage tells you what is and what isn’t.
You don’t have to be a member, but the benefits of the one time $ 100 fee are many. Great sale items for members. Member appreciation day every first Tuesday, 10% off the entire bill. Sure, there are more benfits, but these are those that I use the most.
Downsides? It’s a small store, so sometimes they don’t have what you’re looking for. This almost never happens to me. Sometimes the staff makes goofs in the checkout. They are good about fixing things, but it does mean as a customer you have to pay attention (seems like a good idea anyways) to what is being rung in. This has happened to me several times.
Favorite co-​op perks?
–local made fresh tofu (cheap and delicious)
–local produce
–lots of cheap items in bulk, coffee, nuts, beans, etc.
–walking distance
–not stress inducing

While the Silver Spring Co-​op does not compare to the Takoma Park Co-​op, it’s still a nice place to stop in and pick up the necessities. I usually will pick up toiletries and some produce. They sell fresh tofu and carry a decent amount of local produce. I used to purchase supplements because the prices are very good (I’ve seen $ 10 differences from Whole Foods), but then I discovered
and that beats all of them.
It’s in the same strip as RedDog and Parkway deli. I love this little neighborhood. Would love to live there. Oh yeah, and you do not need to be a member to shop.

I go here by myself… in secret… because my boyfriend makes fun of me when I go here to buy food. («Organic blue corn taco shells, WHAT THE F***?! Don’t you have any normal food?» typically happens when he opens my kitchen cabinet.)
But seriously, I went here for the first time last night, after having made a sort of un-​official new year’s resolution to eat more locally grown, non-​industrial food.
The quality of food meets high standards. You can find a lot of healthy kinds of dairy products (farm-​raised, no hormones, even non-​homogenized), with a selection of grass-​fed/​pastured meats from local farms. That means you can find chicken that hasn’t been mixed with fecal matter and rinsed in chlorine. Awesome.
As for the selection, the refrigerated produce section of herbs, lettuce, green leafiness is well-​stocked. And YOU get a shower too, every 10 seconds when the sprayers come on. The other kinds of produce were adequate but admittedly not as expansive as what you’d find at a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. I didn’t find as much locally grown produce as I’d hoped, although since it’s winter that’s understandable.
For the healthy basics, you’d do well to come to a place like the TPSS co-​op, where you can find most items on your list. If you’re searching for more specific gourmet items like prosciutto or fontina cheese, you might need to go elsewhere. Also, I’m not sure if it’s because the middle of winter or not, but I really wished they would have had a wider selection of meat. The meat that they did have though, was very high quality. What I like about them is that the selection is not overwhelming, and they have a little bit of the best of everything. If you find yourself befuddled in a supermarket, you might want to give this place a try.
The labeling of foods also serves to keep customers informed. It’s pretty easy to tell what your meat has or doesn’t have in it here. (See, I found that at Whole Foods, it’s unclear exactly how the meat has been raised and where. WF also sells food that’s not quite as well-​raised alongside the «good stuff».) At the TPSS Co-​op, it’s clearly marked on the label. One thing that could be improved is having clearer pricing on items. I noticed that a couple of times, signs were missing or poorly placed for the prices of the items.
Speaking of prices, you might wonder how the prices compare to any other store, especially the «cheap» supermarket chains. Without going on any sort of diatribe about the hidden costs of industrial farming or costs to your health from eating poorly grown food, I will say that the prices for the most part are reasonable or at least similar to that of their competitors. You might some variation depending on the brand or type of item. Even if you’re on a budget, I think you can definitely find items that will suit your needs.

Angela M is right about the benefits of the co op… I joined too! I never did get my t shirt or bags… but I’ll be asking about that for sure! I did get the 20 percent of my first purchase which was nice! And I was happy to see that the store wasn’t crowded when I went in on my first trip to get 5 percent off on the 5^th (happens every month). This silver spring location is a little bit smaller than the takoma park location, but closer to my apartment. I love shopping them both… they have everything!
Also, for every reusable bag you use they donate 5 cents to a charity of your choosing.

I admit it! I joined the Co-​Op cult last week. They gave me a cup of kool-​aid and I drank it, ok?!
Actually, they didn’t give me kool-​aid. They gave me an all organic free-​trade cotton tee, which is oh so soft and nice to wear to sleep in and 2 reusable shopping bags. Also, our first purchase as members, we get 20% off. We plan on going to the co-​op in Takoma Park, their partner store, which is larger, to make use of the discount and stock up on staple food items.
The best part about the co-​op is that you are a vested member; you can go to the meetings, get discounts on case purchases, get 5% off on member appreciation day each month and when you move, you get your $ 100 back. I feel like I’m getting a lot of love for nothing and it’s great. Maybe I’ll give them a foot rub some time.

This business (and its sister store in Takoma Park) could be called «Whole Foods Without The Attitude». Of course, it’s smaller than the latter –and, as Libby mentioned in her review, the TPK store. But the staff is friendly, the place is always well stocked, and, well, if you have an aversion to the excess dosage of «more free range than thou» one often encounters in Whole Foods, drive a little off the beaten path and patronize this place.

This is a friendly neighborhood food co-​op. It is a smaller version of its sister store in Tacoma Park that Gayle G. reviewed. It is vegetarian-​friendly and almost all of the produce is organic. They also have bulk spices, which you can ground yourself right in the store. Pricier than your local chain store, but high on quality/​good for you foods.