Time Well Spent…
Clarenville Area Consumers Co-operative was started by Mr. Frank Collins of Shoal Harbour. It all began in 1967 when Mr. Collins was a teenager attending the Co-H Camp in Pasadena, NL. This was sponsored jointly by the Newfoundland Co-operative Services and the 4-H Club to encourage the acceptance of responsibility and the development of leadership in youth.
While attending the Co-H Camp, Collins was inspired by the benefits received from the camp’s canteen which was operated on a co-operative basis in which all profits accrued from the sales, after expenses, were returned to the members. This led Collins to ask Mr. David Garland, Managing Director of the Newfoundland Co-operative Services in St. John’s, who was also a supervisor at the camp, to visit the Clarenville Area and make a presentation to residents about co-operatives and their benefits.
As a result of Mr. Collins request, on 16, 1968, 25 interested people, including Mr. Collins, gathered together for a meeting in the auditorium of Horwood High School in Clarenville which was addressed by Mr. Garland. As a direct result of the meeting, a 10 person provisional Board of Directors for the Clarenville Co-op was elected.
On March 13, 1968, a constitution was adopted and the Society received it Charter as a Registered Society. It was decided at that time if a Co-operative was to be a viable operation, it would require a membership of 200 who would invest $100 each, starting was a membership fee of $5 per week until the share of $100 was reached.
On June 26, 1968, less than five-and-a-half months after the first meeting, the Clarenville Area Consumers Co-operative Society Ltd. opened it’s doors. With a membership of 180, a Manager, and a staff of four, it commenced operation in a rented building.
With six months of operation accompanied by a few growing pains, the year ended on a happy note, with sales exceeding all expectations. At the first Annual General Meeting, a magnificent 6% patronage dividend was returned to members on every dollar they spend.
After about a year in the rented building, it was found that business increased to such an extent that a larger store became necessary. Plans were made to construct Co-op’s own building in what is now known as the Clarenville Shopping Centre.
The 10 member provisional Board of Directors which was elected on January 16, 1968 served until the first Annual General Meeting, when the first official Board of Directors was elected by the membership.
On December 17, 1970, the new 8960 sq. ft. and first member-owned store was officially opened for business. In 1974, an additional 6,500 sq. ft. was added. 1985 brought a further extension plus a major interior facelift, giving us an additional 5,600 sq. ft.. In 1991, a Gas Bar was added.
Our co-op continued to prosper and grow with major renovations taking place again in 1998, 2002 and most recently in 2021. Also, June 4, 2012 saw the grand opening of our new Gas Bar located on Shoal Harbour Drive. Our store has continued to grow and change over the years, with the expansion of our main grocery store to open our popular Bulk Centre and the addition of our Co-op Dollar Stop $hop, officially opening on June 25th 2022.
Membership has continued to grow with over 13, 000 members and an estimated 60 plus employees.
