A Basics History Lesson

1977-1986

Basics opens its doors to the public in 1977. The original location was at 1616 W. Court Street, and it was a 400 sq. feet store run by about five or six employees, with Peter Roang and Deb Ramsdell being the founders.

1989-1995

In 1989, Basics relocated to a larger facility located at 610 E. Memorial Drive. This was more than double the square footage, and now Basics had about 12 to 15 employees. Loyalty of the locals grew, and so did interest in natural foods and supplements. This led to...

1996-2008

In 1996, Basics once again had a move. This time it was to 1221 Woodman Road. The store had over 8,000 sq. feet and over 25 employees. In 2005, a critical change occurred, Basics became a cooperative! We now have over 2,350 owners who are helping to improve our economy, support local farmers and businesses, and educate the community on health and wellness.

2008-current and beyond...

As of October 1st, 2008, Basics Cooperative relocated to 1711 Lodge Drive in Janesville. This new store boasts over 15,000 sq. feet, includes a deli and salad bar, fresh meats/fish, an authentic natural "Shizen" sushi bar, expanded gluten-free and allergen section, beer making supplies and classes, free wi-fi, a seating area and children's play corner, a community room for cooking classes and seminars, and of course, enlightened hospitality by our knowledgeable and caring staff. When planning the move, we were determined to make every effort to go as green as possible. We became the first business in Rock County to have solar power, which offsets the lighting for the entire store. We installed recycled flooring, equipment, and coolers, installed a rack system which reclaims hot air from coolers to use for heating/cooling the store, added light sensors, used "Leed" certified paint, added parking spots with chargers for electric cars, utilized local vendors for construction, and we encourage customers to bring their own bags/containers to cut down on waste. We continue to advocate our wooden nickel program by which we are able to donate hundreds of dollars to support multiple non-profit organizations in our community which we rotate quarterly. And in 2009, Basics won the first ever "eco-friendly" business award given by Forward Janesville!

Thank You

Thank you for being a part of the Basics Cooperative legacy. You are making a difference every day with the choices that you make. We look forward to serving you even better in the future!