MoCo Market: Convenience, Community, and Connection

What do freshly prepared sushi, Swindle Magazine, and a vintage Peugeot bicycle have in common? All are items one will find at MoCo Market, the “modern twist on the general store” opening today at 804 Williamson Street. ‘Mo’ stands for “modern” while ‘Co’ represents three core concepts behind the store: convenience, community, and connection. Owner Megan Ramey, along with merchandise manager Jodi Meier, and eight employees, strive to “arouse and equip the life of the urban dweller through fresh and unique convenience that is also socially and environmentally responsible.” Megan and Jodi met during Ramey’s 4 year stint merchandising at Lands End. Currently Ramey is in the homestretch of UW-Madison’s MBA program—with 15 years of experience in food service and retail management, she cites two classes at the UW as her biggest influences: Deborah Mitchell’s class in marketing and communications, and a class in ethics and sustainability that has obviously influenced many of the ideas behind this innovative new venture.

Every aspect of the store, from the bamboo flooring to the florescent lighting, is emblematic of sustainability. It was designed by Ramey’s best friend, Mary Bolger, who was the first LEED certified interior designer in the state of Wisconsin. “I’m trying to change the way people live their day to day lives, from not using as many paper towels to using low V.O.C. paint,” Ramey points out. Smooth tables and benches that provide a bright eating area near MoCo’s entrance were custom built by Madison’s Full Circle Furniture, out of old birch doors taken from Meriter Hospital. Ramey and her husband, Kyle — a supply chain and inventory consultant — created the clean lines of a wood-paneled patchwork behind the checkout counter out of clear pine that is FSC certified and grown sustainably. Her father, a millworker, lent his talent to the coolly beautiful countertop, fashioned out of charcoal colored slate that was comprised from recycled concrete and other reconstituted materials, such as paper, which Ramey remarks is “easier to cut than wood.”

Ramey’s father also built the minimalist wine racks along the back left wall of the store, where one will find a rotating cast of four vinos each month based on region. This month is Chile (next month: Oregon). Below the wine is an assortment of 18 Midwestern microbrews, all hand picked by Ramey, available for purchase singly or as a “make your own” six pack, to drink at home or at MoCo (no corkage fee applies). When I ask Ramey to pick a favorite product out of all MoCo’s inventory, she leads me to BluCreek Herbal Ale, a beer brewed in Black River Falls.

On the streamlined metro shelving running the length of the space, products from Johnson & Johnson and Heinz are nestled alongside organic shampoo from Giovanni and Wolfgang Puck soup. In the small but well-stocked freezer section, Ciao Bella Mango Gelato shares a shelf with Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby, and although I’m impressed with the hip packaging of Plum Organics frozen baby food - a product currently not available anywhere else in Madison - I’m also impressed that one of my five year old’s favorites, Tony’s Frozen Pizza, is available the next cooler over. After noticing eco-friendly laundry soap and high-end pet food, I’m surprised to see peanut M&M’s and Chef Boyardee ravioli as well. “That’s one of my ‘guilty pleasure’ items,” Ramey says with a smile. “I love Chef Boyardee… Kraft Macaroni and Cheese… Cheetos, burritos…”

There’s also a cooler stocked with Nueske’s bacon, brown eggs, Traders Point Creamery yogurt in a bottle, smoked salmon, and an adequate selection of fine cheeses. “I wanted to provide something for people just to pick up on their way to a dinner party…. And maybe they’ll bump into a friend in the process.”

One of Ramey’s biggest initial goals is to build community. This interest seems well served by her innovative product selection and unique design, but will most likely be best observed with the store’s main focus: prepared food. Morning selections include the famed H & H bagels with varieties of condiments or flavored, whipped cream cheese. Yogurt parfaits, granola, and hot oatmeal round out the offerings.

Ramey and Meier went to sushi classes in Chicago in order to be able to provide freshly made sushi all day, every day, in their grab and go case. Providing a fresh alternative to the mass-produced maki rolls now seen in nearly every grocer’s deli case, they are even branching into whimsically exotic “fruishi” which will be available starting at breakfast time. Fruishi means fruit sushi, in which the rice is held together with sweet coconut milk, wrapped around any type of fresh fruit, dipped in luscious raspberry sauce or yogurt, and garnished with shaved cantaloupe, a doppelganger for the typical sushi accompaniment pickled ginger. Moving into lunch and dinner, MoCo will provide an extensive salad bar, a variety of soups, and daily specials. Free Wi-Fi access and a selection of iced Rishi tea and hot Anodyne coffee enhance the atmosphere.

Adjacent to the store is a patio that will provide additional seating. “This is why I bought the space,” Ramey says excitedly, pointing out the funky orange chairs earmarked to go outside and waving back at neighbors in the surrounding City Point condominium complex. Ramey considers members of the condo association her first customers, and plans to set up house accounts for them as well as listen to their suggestions when it comes to inventory. She already stocks necessities such as batteries and paper goods, as well as a few things (a deck of cards) she can envision someone walking down in their pajamas to purchase.

“What do you think of these shoes?” Meier, peering at a website, calls out to Ramey as I check out the stainless steel cans that will soon be overflowing with fresh cut flowers for sale. Meier is already scouting products for a theme of the month that’s at least a spring and summer away — back to school. Each month, MoCo will feature five “very cohesive” products for sale in limited quantities. This month’s theme is travel, and Ramey shows me the hand selected items including the slender Jimi wallet, a digital wrist camera, laptop sleeves by Gyms Pacific, a rainbow of iPod sleeves (every single one is unique), and the InCase laptop bag, which Megan modeled enthusiastically. “It was designed for urban commuters,” she tells me as she points out the slim bag’s integrated iPod holster and easily accessible passport pocket. The five theme products will be displayed in custom made boxes that form a freestyle sculpture hanging in the storefront window. The theme will also be emphasized in a window poster created by a local artist, an image that will be duplicated on spoke cards—used in urban bicycle races, here they double as coffee punch cards.

In keeping with the “modern convenience” prototype, MoCo offers an excellent selection of periodicals — think Dwell, Anthem, Nylon, and Paste, among others. Three or four CDs will also be showcased per month; one of the monthly artists will be featured in the MoCo television ad.

By the checkout counter rows of chic sunglasses hang on the wall—“every convenience store has to have sunglasses!”—and one can purchase a variety of waterbottles and coffee mugs (all fit in bike cages) as well as a Hip Grip; a cotton sleeve that slips over a coffee cup instead of a disposable cardboard sleeve, insulating the cup and reducing waste.

Initially, Ramey was hoping to become the first dog-friendly restaurant in the United States. As the owner of a pitbull, Carmelita, and a pug, Gordo, Ramey laments the fact that it’s sometimes difficult to run an errand and walk a dog at the same time. Her efforts and vision impressed the health department enough that she actually got a variance that would have allowed dogs in the space. However, concerns from the condo association quashed that idea. She’ll just have to settle for being Wisconsin’s very first Green Restaurant Association establishment. MoCo Market is also a member of One Percent For the Planet, and promotes alternative commuting.

Employees were hand selected from a large pool of applicants, and all of them bike or walk to work. All of them are “people people,” and they all benefit from more of Ramey’s innovative thinking: she offers paid fitness breaks, a vacation buy-in program, and a home savings plan — she matches what they put into a savings account for buying their own real estate. “People buying their own real estate is very important to me,” Megan says emphatically. Incredulously, I tell her that’s a great idea, one I’ve never heard before. “You know, hmm, me either,” she says, shrugging.

Seeing so many fresh concepts and fascinating ideas in play all in one place begs the question, how did she do it? Ramey insists that the key to her success is surrounding herself with people who believe in her. “I don’t have daddy’s money.” She explains that after putting her own money into the venture, having to “sell herself” to other investors helped solidify some of her plans and build confidence in MoCo’s mission and vision. Eventually, she convinced the condo association, the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative, the Madison Development Corp., and SBA/Deforest bank to invest as well.

Starting today, MoCo Market will provide urban dwellers a sleek, modern, pedestrian-friendly and environmentally conscious alternative to fast food and ho-hum convenience stores. MoCo Market will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.