In 1968 Cora Walker, Courtney Brown, Lawrence Rice, and other residents of Harlem organized The Harlem River Consumers Food Cooperative with the goal of paying off the startup loan they received within five years of opening. The New York City food co-op proved such a success that they recouped the money necessary to pay the loan back three months after opening. Located on seventh Avenue between hundred and 47 Street hundred 48th street, the co-op had over 3,350 members and it open to nonmembers to shop too. In the fall of 1968 co-op employed 45 people, largely lower caste African American grassroots organizations males from Harlem. The co-op had plans to train employees to open additional stores. It also focused on providing consumer education courses to customers on how to get the most nutritious food for their grocery budget. As news about the store spread, it received nationwide request for advice on how grassroots organizations could successively start and operate their own food co-ops.
Recommendations for those interested in starting an alternative commercial space like a food cooperative gleaned from Alex D. Ketchum’s Ingredients for Revolution: A History of American Feminist Restaurant Cafes, and Coffeehouses: have more than enough startup capital before launching; get as much business advice as possible in advance; talk to other successful businesses; create a supportive team of professionals that include lawyers, accountants, insurance agents, realtors and when you have them then you’re ready to launch; maintain an informal network of like-minded entrepreneurs that you can lean on for advice.
