By Paige Cowen

Hi everyone! My name is Paige. I am a new member of the Co-op, a relatively new member of the neighborhood, and a recent addition to the content team! (That’s the team that creates all the written and visual content for the Co-op’s social media, newsletters, website and in-store communications.) I will be taking over the responsibility of reaching out to Co-op members every month to find an interested soul to be featured in the Q&A. Considering I am a new member who has hardly met even a fraction of this awesome community yet, I am quite excited to be taking this assignment on. I look forward to meeting you all and helping everyone get to know more members of the Co-op. If you ever feel like being interviewed for a few minutes, want to meet a new face or simply have a fun fact you want to share, you can always email me or the content team to be featured!! Until then, read on for a little information about me.

Q: How long have you lived in Brooklyn? And what brought you here? 

A: Since August! But I just moved to this neighborhood in January. I had been living in Manhattan for the past four years while in school. I fell in love with the strong neighborhood vibes of Brooklyn years ago and knew I would be moving here after graduation. 

Q: How do you like to spend your free time? 

A: What is “free time”? Just kidding...kinda. I usually like to keep pretty busy, but when I am not working or pursuing a creative project I like to spend time outside and going on walks through the park. But I also love to get into a new series or film on TV when it’s gloomy out. I highly recommend the series Sense 8 on Netflix or Sound of Metal on Amazon if you’re looking for something to watch during your next movie night. 

Q: What is your favorite thing to buy at the Co-op so far?

A: Oh, tough question. I LOVE food! But I would have to say my favorite thing is the entire bulk section. I have been trying to reduce my individual consumer waste over the past couple of years, so I love getting to purchase pantry staples without wasting so much packaging materials. 

Q: Any neighborhood gems you want to share with the community? 

A: Mmm, Brooklyn has so many great restaurants, shops, parks and more to offer. But I recently had a delicious latte from a little cafe on Franklin between Hancock and Fulton (super close to the Co-op!) called Golda. And for a peaceful escape from the city noise, I love visiting Green-Wood Cemetery, which was founded in 1838 and was made a National Historic Landmark in 2006. 

Q: All right, last question. Have any book recommendations for the rest of the members? 

A: I’m almost done with Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. EVERYONE needs to read this book. I cannot recommend it enough, especially in the face of the ecological crisis, Kimmerer offers much needed wisdom for us to transform our relationship to land. 

Okay! So that’s a little about me :) And a bit of a sneak peek into how an interview might go if you want to be featured in our next issue of The Monthly. I can’t wait to meet you all!