For longtime Isla Vista Co-Op member and employee Steve Snyder, buying locally is the best way to create a circular economy.
"It’s really important for people to make decisions about how they would like their dollars spent in the world," Snyder says.
Stores like Isla Vista Co-op are owned by its 1,700 members, with proceeds directly benefiting the local store and staying in the community.
"If you go to shop at Costco and you're a member there and you know that that location's making tens of thousands of dollars a month, that money is not going to the broader community. It's going up and out," says Neil Singh, CFO of Isla Vista Food Co-Op.
This business model has worked in Isla Vista since 1972, but CFO Neal Singh says that profit margins have plummeted over the last two years.
"If you have a 1 to 2 percent profit margin, a lot of things must go right every month for you to make it out of the month with a profit," Singh says.
The co-op is now facing the possibility of closure. Isla Vista Community Services District manager Jonathan Abboud says that would force residents to leave town to buy groceries.
"It's one of the few places in IV where you can buy a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods," Abboud says.
Another issue in IV is parking and traffic congestion, so saving the walkable grocery store addresses two issues at once, according to Abboud.
"This seems like something that can do both: give the community access to cheaper groceries and reduce the need to use a car," Abboud says.
Abboud says IVCSD has invested $25,000, buying around 166 co-op memberships in March of 2025 with funds from the county’s $2 million shared reserve pool.
"It was a way to invest our funds in a way that directly benefits the community," Abboud explained.
IVCSD will decide how to allocate the memberships at its meeting next week and potentially invest another $25,000 in the co-op over the summer.
