Elmira Co-op

Elmira Co-op[i]:

    The Elmira Co-op was opened in the early 1940s, and first operated by Ernest Avery.

     Robert Conway was the last operator, he bought the store in 1971.  The store sold grocery items, a few hardware items, and gas.  It was a small one story building, but they also conducted business out of a warehouse, where they sold farm supplies.  The store had to close in the mid-1970s because many people charged for their items and would not return to pay their outstanding bills.

     As with Co-op’s today, Elmira ran on memberships and many of their members were farmers. For a short time the Co-op acted as a small credit union, lending small amounts of money to its members for short periods of time. The building was set on fire sometime after its closing in 1974.