Wild Fig Books & Coffee, Lexington, Ky., reopened last month in "a new incarnation" as a worker cooperative headed by April Taylor, the Herald-Leader reported. In August, co-owners Ron Davis and Crystal Wilkinson had announced that the business would close if a buyer was not found, which subsequently inspired Taylor to organize a successful community fund drive in hope of finding an alternative solution.
Speaking as the new store's co-founder and worker-owner, she said the business now "gives everyone a stake in the decision-making process" and that the Wild Fig is "expanding on the legacy of what the Fig has meant to people in the community."
Taylor said that during its first month in business, the store has "already surpassed what our three-month projections were in terms of sales, so that's really good. We are looking to raise more money and access some of these non-traditional financing options."
Providing a variety of offerings--including co-working space and food specials as well as pop-up booths for small local businesses and artists--in the rapidly changing North Limestone corridor helps the Fig "be a space for those who come from the population segment that's being pushed out and those that are coming in," she added.