Call Number:

RG7.024

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Extent:

.5 linear ft.

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1936-2012 (inclusive)

Creator:

Consumers Cooperative Association of Swarthmore, Inc.

Abstract:

The collection contains photographs, clippings, historical research and related papers concerning the Consumers' Cooperative Association of Swarthmore, Inc., better known as the Swarthmore CO-OP. Located in Swarthmore, Pa., it was incorporated in 1937.

The Swarthmore Co-op began in 1932 as a fruit and vegetable buying group organized by a group of women in Swarthmore, Pa., and operating out of homes. In 1937 it filed articles of Association in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvnia as the Swarthmore Cooperative Association. In 1939 it found a home in a former car dealership on Dartmouth Avenue with the help of Mary Hitchner deMoll (Mrs. Carl deMoll). In 1945 it was incorporated as the Consumers' Cooperative Association of Swarthmore. In 2004 the Co-op moved to a building erected in adjacent lot, and in 2012, the Swarthmore Co-op celebrated its 75th Anniversary.

Founded in the 1930s as consumer-owned groceries, most co-ops closed in the 1980s in competition with supermarket chains. The Swarthmore Co-op has survived and evolved for over seventy-five years and remains an important part of the community. In the 21st century, the Co-op moved into a new building and has expanded its membership and sales. Together with Swarthmore College, it is an important element in the revitalizing of the Swarthmore Business District, a traditional town center founded at the end of the 19th century. The collection illustrates its history through clippings, photographs, and writings.

Organized in three series: 1. History; 2. Photographs; 3. Clippings