A Weavers Way of life

If Times Square is the crossroads of the world, Weavers Way co-op is the crossroads of Northwest Philly.

Mostly, we mean that philosophically: Every notable Northwest citizen, community group and elementary school seems to be somehow entangled in the cooperative market's operations, whether they're members (such as WXPN "World Cafe" guy David Dye), like-minded do-gooders (such as Northwest Greens, which holds meetings in the co-op's community room) or beneficiaries of Weavers Way's healthy-food outreach initiatives (now afoot at the Henry, Houston and Jenks public elementary schools and two private schools).

But there's a physical similarity, too. If you visit Weavers Way on a Saturday, the human gridlock isn't all that different from the crush of humanity at 42nd and Broadway. "It comes in waves," says General Manager Glenn Bergman. "It feels like the ocean."

Weaver's Way, founded in 1973, now has 3,300 member families, all of whom co-own the place. Every adult puts in 6 hours of work a year as part of the cooperative deal.

Nonmembers can shop here, too (with a 10 percent surcharge, refunded if you decide to join later). While that's a good reason to visit - especially for the gorgeous produce and the environmentally sound fresh fish - the better reason to go is to really grasp what the Northwest Philadelphia neighborhoods are all about.

There's an aggressive earnestness here that lays the communities along Germantown Avenue open to ridicule. In the pet-food annex, Weavers Way members abide by an honor system that involves placing a price sticker on their jackets so they won't forget to pay for their holistic kibble.

Yes, they look funny.

And, yes, there's holistic kibble.

But you can't help admire the community spirit. The vibrant exchange of ideas and services on the community bulletin board in the stairway to the co-op's second floor (where health, beauty and gift items are sold) gives you the sense that the Weavers Way "cooperators," as they earnestly call themselves, are onto something good.

The cluster of businesses that has opened nearby to take advantage of the coop foot traffic - including a coffee shop, a book store and a green-living home store - suggests that the holistic kibble crowd isn't half bad at capitalism, either. *

Weavers Way, 559 Carpenter Lane, 215-843-2350. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

- Becky Batcha