Cooper's Public Market Offers Local Foods To Locals

Photo by Rem O'Donnelley

A Novato native will be sharing his passion starting Saturday with the opening of Cooper's Public Market. Dennis Cooper will be bringing food from local producers, all within a 30 mile radius of his store in Novato.

The market's website describes itself as a “small family owned indoor market selling sustainably raised eggs, produce, dairy, meats, cheese, honey and other staples.” Cooper's store is carrying produce, eggs, dairy products and meat from various farms. Some of the products are eggs from Redhill Farms in Petaluma cheeses from Nicasio Valley Cheese Company in Nicasio, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese and Cowgirl Creamery both in Point Reyes Station.

The meat his store is carrying is from Devil's Gulch Ranch in Nicasio and Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales. One of the unique meats he will carry is going to be rabbit. Cooper will carry breads from Brick Maiden Breads in Point Reyes Station. In addition the market will also have an espresso bar with coffee from Equator Coffees and Tea in San Rafael. Cooper explains just because some products are considered gourmet, it is not a gourmet store as he will also be carrying traditional grocery products.

This is the 43 years olds first foray into the market business. Prior to this he was in the film industry for 15 years and before that a musician. The last seven years he was at Lucas Films where he worked in global production. Cooper says that is where he got his business education.

His interest in the all local food is that he wad been interested in buying local for years. “I've been trying to eat organic for a long time. I've always liked buying local,” Cooper said.

He says although a person could go to a place and buy some local foods, there wasn't one place that you could go and everything was local. “So that's what gave me the idea to open the market and go direct to the farmers and the ranchers so that the community can know them and get to know them and where the foods come from.”

“I'm really excited to be doing this, it was a community event getting the store built and my neighbors, friends and even the contractors are all locals. Even the contractor's people pitched in and helped out. So this is local from the ground up,” he said.

Saturday's grand opening is a “soft opening” he explained. “We've got a lot of good food here and we're just getting rolling and we're going to keep bringing in more products. In March we will have a grand opening and we'll have more in the store.”

Cooper wants the public to know that if there is something locally that people want and that isn't in the store to let him know and he will try to get it. “That includes cuts of meat or a head meat, I can get pretty much anything that people want.

Cooper's Public Market

Open 9 am to 7 pm

1425 Grant Avenue