A village marketplace that doesn't take a cut.

What it is

Gather at the Grove is a federated discoverability layer for a small co-op of Appalachian agroforestry businesses. Today: three sister farms on one West Virginia hillside. Over time: more independent makers in the region who run their own Odoo + Stripe checkouts.

We're a magazine and a directory. Each maker keeps full sovereignty over their own checkout, their own Stripe account, their own customer relationships. The hub never sees a transaction. The hub never takes a cut.

Why federated, not aggregated

Every marketplace platform that exists takes a percentage of each sale, holds the customer relationship, and charges for placement. Etsy, Amazon, Faire — same model with different paint. For makers selling under regional and community identity, that model is hostile. The customer becomes the platform's customer, not the maker's.

Federation flips this. The hub points you at the maker's own shop, then gets out of the way. You become the maker's customer. The platform is a directory and a magazine, not a financial intermediary.

Why a journal at all

Because cooperative commerce in 2026 is a contested idea, and the people doing it are not going to win the argument with louder ads. They might win it with better writing. The journal is where we make the case — slowly, in long-form, with the texture of actual practice.