Seward Co-op opened in 1972 on the corner of 22nd Street and Franklin Avenue (where Welna II Hardware is today) with the help of North Country Co-op members. In the beginning we had a small selection of products with a heavy emphasis on bulk goods and were run by a core group of volunteers. We were a smaller and less formal business back then.
By 1976 we had grown quite a bit and it was time to re-organize. We incorporated as a worker-owned cooperative, issued our first stock to members, required members to volunteer at the store, and established an elected board of directors.
In the early 1980s, we hit a rough patch. Membership had dwindled to 50 and interest in volunteering had declined. We knew we had to change to survive. in 1983, our board and collective adopted a general management structure and we reincorporated as a consumer co-op. Patronage refunds were introduced and volunteering was no longer required of members.
Our willingness to change paid off! Between June 1984 and June 1987 our membership grew to 1,000 households and sales grew 54 percent. In 1987, we voted to increase the stock purchase in order to help finance an expansion and were able to expand the building into the vacant space next door. Again, we found that growth led to growth. by 1989, sales reached just over $1 million.
By the mid 1990s, it became clear to our board and management that we weren't done growing. with their guidance and the support of our member-owners we built a new store on a lot a block west on Franklin Avenue. The doors opened in 1998. By June of 1999, our sales, staff and membership had doubled.
In the fall of 2003 we launched another smaller expansion which created a front-end seating area and more checkout lanes. Sales spiked! By fiscal year 2006 sales had reached $8.9 million.
Almost as soon as the last expansion was completed, staff and members realized that it wasn't going to be enough space. In 2005, the board directed the general manager to plan for a new store expantion on Franklin Ave. As chance would have it, the old Riverside Market site became available. Seward Co-op member-owners invested $1.46 million in the project. Seward Co-op's new location has a retail space of 13,000 square feet and over 5000 members.
