Co-op 1889

 

Address: 68 The Mount, York, YO24 1AR (now Chiropractic 1^st)

 

Description

A sizable rectangular ghost sign adorns the brick façade, featuring a cream background with bold blue lettering that reads ‘Shop at the Co-op’.

 

 

History

Co-operatives began to take formal shape in the late 18th century as people moved from farms to cities, relying on privately owned stores for food instead of growing it themselves.

 

Prices were high, and the selection was limited.

 

The first successful co-operative was founded in 1844. At that time, living conditions in northern industrial towns were harsh.

 

Essential items like flour, sugar, butter, and oats were expensive, while unscrupulous practices like watering down milk and mixing flour with sawdust to cut costs were common.

 

 

In response, a group of 28 working-class men took action, pooling their resources to establish a co-operative shop that provided quality products to the community at fair prices.

 

This pioneering spirit led to the formation of the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) in 1863. 

 

Independent co-op societies banded together to provide Co-op products to hundreds of stores. Over the next century, CWS evolved into what is now The Co-operative Group.

 

 

In the early 1900s, John W. Bentley owned a grocery shop at the corner of The Mount and Holgate Road (pictured above).

 

Seeking cleaner air, he moved his family to Upper Poppleton, where he opened a second, larger grocery store on the Green.

 

Eventually, he sold both shops to the Co-operative Group and relocated to Haxby, and the shop on the corner of Holgate Road became a Co-operative.  

 

 

The Co-operative remained until the late 20th century, when it was sold. Now, the building is a chiropractor. 

 

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