The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-03-06
COOPERATIVE STORE
PROVES SUCCESS
Chain in West Virginia Has
Been Growing in Every
Way.

CARLTON, W. Va, March e.
The cooperative store is making
great Roadway in northern West yir-
ginta and in five years there has been
degree Of success which indicates
that there eventually will be a chain
o. such stores in this State as there
is now in central IlliRois where fifty
cooperative stores have an associa.
ton, held annual conventions and buy
together, making what cooperative
boosters laughingly admit is trust.
The cooperative store in West Vir-
GINA has not developed to anything
like that extent but splendid start
has been made and there is now an
association with charter separate
from that OF any individual store
which aims 10 make purchases in
carload lots before the world is made
absolutely safe for democracy. The
West Virginia association embraces
stores at Grafton, Wendell, Simpson.
keyser, Tunnelton. and Rowlesburg
and the officers are Grafton men
John R. Thever being president and
A. L. Jeffeies being secretary.
The Grafton store is the largest in
West Virginia. 1t has been operating
five years having been organized on
March IA, 1914. 1t had a capital stock
OF $500 at the start. Now it is rated
at $4,000 but that much has not been
paid in. The next assets at the pres
ent time are $4,000 or $4,000 and
deducting bad accourf.s there is Ger.
tainly $4,000 in real assets. There
Il a store at Elkins whIch brings an.
other important West Virginia city
nto the cooperative chain. A store ran
at Farmont for a year but it was bad.
~ managed and badly located and did
not prove a success"
The Grafton cooperative store is
the father Of most OF the lot in north
eEn West Virginia. 1t helped organize
one at Keyser which was doing well
until the nue almost put the town off
the map, taking clerks from the store.
Stores at Rowlesburg and Tunnelton
organized under the advice of the
Grafton store are prnpering. Stores
at Wendell ana Simpson, Taylor coun.
ty and at Eikins and Parsons were
organized Independent of the aid Of
the Grafton store. Four weeks ago ar
rangements were made for a store at
Newburg and charte has bmeen ap.
piled 70. The fame of the Grafton
store is widcsprea dand Co7opera-
tive store was organized at Chilllo-
cothe, Ohio, en- the same system and
with Grafton advice.
The Grafton cooperative store does
not stick to exactly the same system
as the stores in Illinois and in other
States Of this country and differ from
the system in vogue in England. This
store has two Departments. One is
cash and carry and is open to the pub
lie. The other is credit and delivery
and is open TO the stockholders and
to the public. The cash and carry de-
partment is about ten percent cheaper
than the credit and delivery depart
ment
There is no effort to cut prices by
the Grafton stree. 1t sells at the same
prcie as other stores but its stock.
holders share in the profits. The
stockholders are paid six percent and
the rest is a dividend which is prorsta
as to purchase. In other words the
family hat spends $50 in two weeks
for groceries gets twice the dividend
of the family that spends $40. The
plan is to have every stakeholder
cary enough stock to fiEance his ac-
count and leave a surplus to keep
goods on the shelf. For instance a
family with grocery bill Of $40 in
two weeks ought to have 60 in stock,
which would mean $40 to balance the
account and 20 to cover goods in
stock.
The Grafton store started off with
100 stockholders apd now has some
thing like 200. It's stockholders are
mostly town people as farmers some
how are slow to see the idea. There
are lawyers, bankers and doctors
among the stockholders.