Dates

• Existence: 1869 - 1959

Parallel Names

• Coalville Co-op

Biography

The Coalville Cooperative Mercantile Institution (1869-1959) was a mercantile co-op for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Coalville.

The Coalville Cooperative Mercantile Institution, also known as the Coalville Co-op, was established in 1869. It was later incorporated in 1882 as a department store. Its founders and superintendents included John Boyden and Alma Eldredge. It was the first corporation in Summit County and one of the first established institutions in Utah. The store marketed their wide variety of clothes and often purchased advertisement space in the Coalville Times to promote their apparel and other goods. These included casket construction and other lumber commodities, kitchenware, and appliance sales. While the store performed well initially, by 1939, the company’s expenses were higher than its profits. The board tried numerous solutions in order to raise the company out of debt. In 1939 and 1940, under the direction of George Beard, the co-op leased several of its rooms and departments to responsible tenants to raise funds, despite protests from other members of the board. In 1941, they mortgaged the property to pay back a loan from the Kamas Bank. Rising insurance and tax rates were also sources of concern for the board members. George Beard was heavily involved in the co-op and served as manager for the institution for 73 years. Following his death in 1944, Ralph Wright was elected president. Paul Beard, son of Beard, succeeded Wright as president in 1947. In 1959, the board unanimously voted to find a buyer for the institution. Two months later, the co-op was sold to Frank P. Bullock for $50,000 and was rebranded as Bullock’s Store. It appears to have dissolved since then.

Citation:

Citation: Utah Digital Newspapers, via WWW, May 23, 2023 (Coalville Cooperative Mercantile Institution, 1881 Alma Eldredge was president of the Coalville Cooperative Mercantile Institution advertisements in Coalville Times; 1905 John Boyden was superintendent of the Coalville Cooperative Mercantile Institution; appliance sales; first corporation in Summit County; 1923 advertisement for appliances; 1960 Co-op renamed Bullock’s Store, remodeled and opened; John Boyden; Alma Eldredge) Copper Coin Mining Company minutes and certificates of stock, 1868–1959: pg. 1 (est. 1869); pg. 33 (1949 departments of co-op included casket construction, lumber, kitchenware appliances); pg. 37 (Goerge Beard suggests leasing departments and rooms); pg. 38 (board members protest leasing co-op rooms) pg. 42 (George Beard explains that expenses are higher than profits) pg. 61 (property mortgaged to Kamas Bank for two years); pg. 63 (Kamas Bank repaid in full), pg. 74 (Ralph Wright elected president), pg. 86 (company voted unanimously to sell co-op), pg. 87 (1959 Co-op sold to Frank P. Bullock for $50,000) (1960 Co-op renamed Bullock’s Store, remodeled and opened) BYU Library, via WWW, May 31, 2023 (1871 George Beard president of Coalville Co-op until death in 1944)

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