The 25th anniversary of Basics’ founding was celebrated on Woodman Road in 2002, with Peter proudly complimenting the many staff who then ran the store and reminiscing about the many changes that had occurred since its opening. But Peter did not, even then, think that this was the end of the changes that he or Basics would experience. He was already thinking about the “next step” – turning the store into a cooperative. Peter had grown more interested in the cooperative model while serving as Chairman of the Board for Blooming Prairie Cooperative, then the largest distributor of natural foods in the Midwest.
Upon Peter’s untimely and sudden death in 2003, his son, S. David Roang, took over ownership of Basics. The store never closed. However, David was at the time also practicing law.
David wanted to see his father’s dream fulfilled. He realized that making the store a cooperative would hold the answer, allowing him to return full-time to his law practice and preserving the store for its customers and its community. On January 2, 2005 Basics became a cooperative.
By 2008, 2,350 Basics Co-op Owner households were helping to improve our economy, support local farmers and businesses, and educate the community on health and wellness.