We asked our valued members to tell us what you love about Swan Valley Co-op, boy did you ever!

Thank you to everyone for submitting such wonderfully thoughtful stories that took us all on an unforgettable jaunt down memory lane! It touches our hearts that Co-op holds a special place in your memories.

The response was absolutely incredible, so we will leave the email address live for you, our valued customers, to continue to share.

Winner of a Co-op Gift Card:
As I entered the automatic doors to my favorite grocery store, the excitement hit me. I quickly parted ways with my grandmother, and stared at the monstrous staircase in front of me... I knew I was guaranteed at LEAST an hour of pure happiness. As I reached for the stairwell banister, I drew back. I knew I could not pass up the elevator ride to the second level. I pushed the up-arrow button and snagged a quick paper cone cup of water from the water cooler beside the doors. When they opened, I entered what I thought was the coolest, fanciest piece of machinery of all time. Still thirsty and arriving at the top, I debated whether to get my apple juice from the deli before, or after my visit to the toy department. Pulling some change out of my cut off blue jean shorts, I bought a plastic cup of apple juice, with a peel back aluminum lid and a straw - it was a drink I would never forget. Quickly finishing my juice, I headed towards the toy area where I would spend the majority of my visit pushing buttons, listening to sounds, planning my mental Christmas list and touching just about every toy possible. I was in toy heaven... Realizing Nana would soon be done in the food department, I looked over the balcony banister, to see if she had yet reached the bakery. I couldn't miss my free cookie from the bakery lady, whose name I would later forget, but face I would remember for the rest of my life. Racing down the multi-level staircase, I took a quick right and came upon my grandma just in time before her return to the check out. I ate my chocolate chip cookie while Nana chatted with some lady friends. I still had time for a quick lap around the clothing department. The hard path along the carpeted floor made the best racetrack of all time. I flew by men's fancy ties, shelves full of shoes, the front door, sparkly glass counters full of jewelry, women's clothing and then a weird looking steam machine with a hose before finishing my race and hiding under a few clothing racks. "Time to go!" My Gramma would call. As we headed together towards the tills, Nana would let me pick out an Orb drink from a special aisle on the left. Shaking the clear bottle, the colorful magic balls that floated and swirled around in my drink would remain a mystery to me forever. What a perfect finish to my much-anticipated weekly grocery store visit... this was me, remembering Co-op.

Winner of a Co-op Gift Card:
Hello, here is my coop story… Betty was my cashier one day when I was 9 months pregnant and had my two-year-old daughter with me. I had a large amount of groceries as I was preparing for harvest meals. She offered for one of the delivery men to help unload my groceries, so I didn’t have to lift all the heavy items again. She has great customer service, and I appreciated the kind gesture.

Winner of a Co-op Gift Card:
One of my favourite memories is Frank Barkovics always helping me fill my bike tire with air at the gas station when I was a little kid. He was my neighbor growing up and I always felt comfortable asking him for help! He was pretty cool in my eyes, like a king in that shop.... who talked funny.

Winner of a Co-op Gift Card:
When mom said we are going into Swan for grocery shopping, my sisters and I were always so excited to go look at the toys upstairs. My family of 6 would all pile into my dads 3-seater 1/2 ton. We were like the Clampets going to Beverly Hills!!! While my mom would shop for groceries our dad would gather with the local farmers for coffee at the cafeteria. My sisters would always tell me I was too little to ride in the elevator and had to take the stairs. So, my dad and I would always race them up to the top. I’ll never forget the haze of the cigarette smoke, the bright orange cafeteria chairs and the high balcony that overlooked the store. I know I was one of many of the kids who would yell “HI MOM CAN YOU SEE ME!” Dad would always tell us this isn’t a place for kids to run around. So we knew if we sat prim and proper he would let us go look at the toys and maybe even buy us a plate of their famous fries and gravy to share! Lol I swear we asked our parents to buy us every toy from the toy department. I remember Shawna and I wanting the Jasmine and Aladdin Barbie dolls and that’s exactly what Santa brought us for Christmas!!!🎄 I miss those days!

Winner of a Co-op Gift Card:
I used to love the old 2 floor co-op! My favourite thing was getting to look at all the toys upstairs and then go get a treat in the cafeteria on Saturday when my dad shopped. I used to dream/ daydream in school- that I lived in the Co-op and all the mannequins in the fashion dept were my dolls I could dress up in families. I could pick anything I wanted from the grocery area for school lunches (we were poor when I was little and I dreamed of things like wagon wheels other kids had) and all my clothes were new from the clothing dept. I rode a bike from the hardware section and life was just perfect " living" at the co-op. Hahaha

So many great memories of this place: the BEST fries and gravy EVER; looking from the railing of the mezzanine for my Mom shopping in the grocery section, yelling “Mom” to make her look up while literally every other mom shopping in groceries looks up, smiles and waves at you too 😁; and, being small enough to sit in the upper basket of the shopping cart, but having laser precision internal GPS to know exactly which aisle and shelf the Animal Cracker cookies were on! That Co-op Shopping Centre was more than just a store — it provided a sense of community to generations of Valley residents. 🥰 Happy 80th Anniversary Swan Valley Co-op!

The previous Co op store had a main street entrance as well as a side entrance. When entering at the main street entrance, one was immediately into the fashion area of the store. It was always a joy to run into and speak with Dan Dahl who was the manager of the men’s fashion department. Leaving the fashion department, one would then enter the massive grocery section... Ollie Yacyshyn and Mrs Boyda were just a few of the staff in this area who stacked shelves and managed the tills. Further into the store, one would walk past the gift shop and into the hardware and lumber department where knowledgeable men like Frank Nerbas and Frank Miles would help you with your purchases regarding building projects. Going up the spacious stairs the cafeteria was always a delight with its full range of snacks and meals. Agnes Campbell worked there for years always with a smile. The lounging area was a great visitation spot with its view of the grocery section below. Adjoining the cafeteria was the home furnishings section with its manager Stan Karwash busily moving couches and dinning tables around. [ 1966] In close proximity to the cafeteria from the other side were the management offices where Jake Epp, Bob Tibble [1966] and many girls kept the store running smoothly.

When I was young I would love to go Grocery shopping with my Mom because we would always go upstairs to the restaurant and have French Fries and gravy (The best) Mrs. Treasure worked in the restaurant and I remember saying that when I grew up I wanted to be “the uptown lady” and work in the restaurant like Mrs. Treasure

My favourite memory was going Christmas present shopping with my grandma in the clothing department. Every year we would pick out a shirt from the clothing department and she would wrap it and give it to use on Christmas.

The story that sticks out the most was when I was working there in the mid-nineties. It involved my co-worker, (the late Myles Chaykoski). We often chatted & laughed while working and got along really well. One day, I was working at the end of an aisle and he came over and proudly told me how he was going to propose to his girlfriend, Marianne. I was honoured that he shared it with me. They got engaged soon after, were married, and eventually had their son. I was very happy for him. He was a great guy that was gone far too soon.

Oh, my goodness - stories of the Co-op - I could tell you a million- really - my dad Tony Stupak worked there from 1961-1999 if I have my numbers right- in the lumber department. I remember “hanging out” with the boys of the lumber yard after school as I had my piano lesson at Mrs. Dahl’s down from the Junior High- and dad got off work at 5 or 5:30. I would entertain Vern, Frank and dad as they helped customers with their various needs. To this day one of my favourite smells is the smell of fresh or new wood😊. Mystery cans came a little earlier though. It wasn’t easy raising a large family of anywhere from 6-8 members - (and don’t know if I should be telling this), but the lovely manager of the grocery department (sorry- I guess my age is showing as I can see his face, but can’t remember his name?!) saved the cans that were bent, dented or had lost their labels in a special box for my dad. Dad paid a nominal fee for the box, brought it home and oh the fun began!! Mom would only let us open the mystery cans on Saturdays and whatever we discovered was eaten that day! Sometimes we had lovely canned peaches, while other times the dogs enjoyed the tin! I smile when I see a bent or dented can on the shelf, as it takes me right back to the Swan Valley Coop and if I am able to find a tin without a label will buy it for the fun!! Who doesn’t like a surprise?! Thanks for the opportunity to share my story.𑠦lt;/p>

The old Co-op—a conversation topic that still to this day, comes up in conversation. The Co-op played a big role in my childhood memories. My grandma frequently recalls on a memory—one day when I was a little girl, she came over to visit after a long day at work— I said to her, “Sorry grandma, you can’t come over right now. Me and my mom are going to the Co-op, you’ll have to come by later”. I guess you could say I wouldn’t allow anything or anyone to come in the way of my trip to the Co-op— not even my grandma. It was always such an exciting experience, from the time we would park the car. Starting with saying hello to my first batch of Co-op friends that were rounding up the carts—the employees of the Co-op always felt like my buddies. Next, we would pick up any tools or materials that my dad needed from the hardware department, and it was always a pleasure to see my pals there as well. Next, we would move into the produce area of the grocery store—which was my least favorite. So, this would be around the time when I would ditch my mom and head upstairs for my free ice-cream cone. I’d say hello to my friends upstairs, check out the new merchandise in the toy department, jump on a few beds, ride the elevator a few times, and yell out to my mom from the balcony- “don’t forget my favorite school snacks!” From there, I would rush downstairs to make it in time for the deli stop. Depending on which friend was working, I would get to sample my school lunch meat—just to make sure it was the right choice. Then we would mosey on our way to the fashion department. Now, this is where my best friends worked. My mom and I would check out the latest fashion, and if I were lucky enough, I would come home with a new outfit—which often times didn’t even end up leaving the store in a bag because I had to sport my new outfit at the grocery checkout. So, my best friends would cut off the tags and away I would go to pay for the groceries with my mom. Check out was always exciting—which checkout friend would I meet with today? Whoever it was, they were always sure to put a smile on my face. I would kindly ask my mom for a quarter for the gumball machine—which usually wrapped up our shopping experience for the day. I’d hop it the car, say goodbye to my friends and look forward to doing it all again the following weekend.

I would occasionally head uptown with my mom and dad to go shopping or get a few groceries we needed for my Grandparents house, or a few things for supper. The front doors of the Coop gave way to a nice grey carpeted area, and the first thing you smelled walking in was the smell of clean linens and clothing in the clothing department. Strolling a bit further down the store, once you left the clothing and textile areas, you entered the food department proper. Walking by the Bakery department gave one’s nose a nice mixture of a dried baked yeast smell, (which was only comparable to Woody’s bakery) and also perhaps a few sweet smelling confectionary donuts or desserts. Then the best part would be the snack time. We would head to upstairs, a cafe and eatery area combined with Insurance dept. and also a children’s toy area. So many people from all over the Valley would come to this area ALL THE TIME for coffee and to meet and visit and chat, it was ALWAYS a welcoming busy place, you would always hear a few coffee cups being gently lowered back onto a few saucers, and there was a nice selection of food there to order, I think I usually ordered french fries and gravy, or, chicken fingers with BBQ sauce. Once we were finished eating there would be a few minutes for strolling thru the toy department, but also for any dads, there would be time for a stroll thru the Hardware section, perhaps he would need to go for a part or some sheet metal screws or something like that. Overall, the old Coop has many good memories for me, they won’t tarnish with time but only grow more fonder, delectable, and taste better in the brain, instead of on the tongue, however will still age correctly and well, like a fine wine.

My fav story was eating upstairs with my mom, the huge plate of fires and gravy for a cheap price were always the best and then after lunch, I'd go look at the toys and buy hockey cards upstairs and then look for my mom shopping from the balcony and sometimes ride the elevator for fun lol good old days, miss that old place.

My favourite memory of Co-op growing up was Saturday mornings. Every Saturday morning was the time my family went grocery shopping. It was always after Saturday morning cereal and cartoons. The best part was my mom choosing to have the groceries delivered in the afternoon, so we could head up to the restaurant for THE best fries and gravy for lunch! Then a little browse in the toy department. Sometimes I was even lucky enough to pick a small toy! Thank you for the opportunity to share this memory. It evoked a wonderful feeling of nostalgia!

I remember the cafeteria on a rainy day where lots of locals would gather for coffee or the excellent food and I remember Betcher agencies for all the business they did in the valley as well.

I have a lot of memories about the old co-op. I always went there to shop with my parents. I remember going upstairs to look at the toys and buying something in the cafeteria. I also remember the elevators and the bike shop. I even remember the candy bins by the fruit and veggies. I was even part of the co-op kids club. I loved getting treats every time I shopped. Even the fashion galley I loved 🙂