Wilmington food co-op Tidal Creek finds encouragement from its stakeholders for a proposed move to downtown from its current location at 5329 Oleander Drive.

“Over the past six weeks, we've received hundreds of submissions of our Relocation Survey, giving us valuable insight into how our owners, customers, and greater community feel about Tidal Creek relocating to the downtown Wilmington area,” co-op officials stated in a news release Monday. 

The release revealed the results to date of that survey.

A majority of the survey respondents – 54 percent – were positive about Tidal Creek’s relocating to downtown. Another 15 percent had mixed feelings and 31 percent of respondents said they had negative feelings about a move to downtown.

Most of those who expressed mixed feelings indicated they would still renew their ownership in the cooperative. Responses showed that 62 percent would continue to be owners of Tidal Creek, while another 9 percent who are not current owners said they would buy an ownership. The remaining respondents, who made up 28 percent, said they would not renew their ownership if Tidal Creek moved to a downtown location.

Respondents who favor the co-op’s move downtown showed greater loyalty: 70 percent of them said they would renew their ownership, while the other 30 percent said they would become owners for the first time.

Shaylah Paul, Tidal Creek’s marketing coordinator, said that the organization will continue to welcome survey feedback until it finalizes its location.

“We have one location in particular that we’re really interested in and that seems like it could be a great fit,” she said Monday. “We’re looking at details but it seems the most feasible. We’re hoping to make the lease agreement public in April.”

At that point, Tidal Creek will close the survey and initiate other forms of dialog with its stakeholders, she said.

Tidal Creek officials don’t think Farmin’s plans to establish a grocery store this summer in the former A Second Time Around space at 143 N. Front St. will affect its own move to the downtown area, Paul said.

“We don’t think it’s much of a threat, given their location and the location we have in mind,” she said.

Another factor, Paul noted, is parking. Farmin’ on Front’s customers will likely have to park on the street or in parking decks, perhaps limiting the amount that they will purchase. Tidal Creek, on the other hand, plans on having a parking lot.

“That’s a big concern” in finding the right site, Paul said.