The Arcola Co-op recently celebrated its 100th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 13, where past and present board members, employees, regular members, and more came out to partake in the festivities.
The day marked a milestone for the Arcola Co-op and in true Co-op fashion they focused on a way to involve the community. This included a Human Foosball tournament, bouncy castles and games for kids, as well as a dinner by Ryan Weir Catering, beer gardens operated by the Arcola/Kisbey Combines, and music following as instructors from “The Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party” played for the crowd.
Welcomed to the community was Clint “Dusty” MacDonald – President and Chair of the Board for the Federated Co-operatives Limited as well as the District Director for the area, spoke following the supper. Congratulating everyone involved with the Arcola Co-op he presented an Inuksuk statue from an Arctic Co-op, which symbolizes the investment individuals have in each other. Traditionally an Inuksuk was used to indicate the location of a cache of food, signify a change in direction, or a precautionary sign depending on the configuration of the Inuksuk; but, ultimately it was about a community come together.
The spirit of the Arcola Co-op can be traced back to the first settlers to the area in 1882. They quickly realized that surviving and thriving in this beautiful, yet harsh climate meant working together and supporting each other.
The basis for the present day Co-op store was developed in 1913 with Arcola farmers organizing the “Buffalo Head Grain Growers.” Their first recorded purchases included fence posts and 800 pounds of sugar. This laid the foundation for the 1916 emergence of “The South Arcola Grain Growers,” an association which had a small building on the Scarrow farm where members recorded their own transactions according to an honour system.
The 1916 original Board Members included W.W. Ottewell – President, W.G. Anderson, and W.A. Hislop.
In 1920, the business was moved from the small building on the Scarrow farm to the “Noble Building” in the town of Arcola; at this time they also realized a name change becoming known as the “Arcola Co-op.” The business had expanded and progressed to a full size retail operation which focused on commodities such as coal, twine, seasonal fresh fruit, winter apples in barrels, regular grocery products, produce and a limited selection of dry goods.
In 1951 the business moved to “Hemeline Block” – where the Credit Union now stands – and an expansion furthered the supplies available at the Arcola Co-op to include a line of dresses and a larger variety of dry goods.
The store would go through two more moves including a change in 1962 when the Arcola Co-op moved to the former “Clover Farm Store” (present day post office sits on this site) where they operated until 1981. In the early 1980s the Arcola Co-op was moved out to Hwy 13. At this time they discontinued groceries and began to concentrate on bulk petroleum, hardware sales, and added a convenience store. Plans developed in 2008 to further expand and modernize the facility, which came in the form of a card lock and feed shed.
Today the Arcola Co-op operates as a C-Store and gas bar: Coffee bar, sandwiches, subs, salads, cold drinks, chips, and snacks of all kinds; it focuses on hardware including a variety of products including safety attire, automotive, electrical, tools, to seasonal selections; and it provides essentials for the agricultural community surrounding Arcola with an agro and petroleum. Feed to fencing and everything in between can be found in the Agro Department, while oil, slip tanks, a variety of fuel, card lock services, and daily fuel deliveries can be found in the Petroleum Department.
Currently underway is a 1,800 square foot addition which will finish this fall. The expansion will include new programs available to Co-ops including a fried chicken program and Vern’s Pizza program. Also being added is a Premium Gasoline tank, which is projected to be finished at the end of September – can offer premium and regular gasoline as well as diesel.
Being at the entrance of town, the Arcola Co-op also chose to beautify the area with a gazebo and walking path added to improve the look of a path used by bikes and people walking. The area also gives people travelling a place to sit and eat as they have quite a bit of road traffic coming through.
The Arcola Co-op has quickly grown over the years and currently the business employs 22 full and part time workers including General Manager – Cindy Kolenz, Agro/Petro Manager – Don Corrigan, C-Store Manager – Amber Metz, and Office Manager – Christie Schuett.
