Provo West Co-op, historic commercial building in Provo, Utah, United States

The Provo West Co-op is a two-story brick building in Provo originally built around 1866 and remodeled about twenty years later. The structure features a simple design with brick exterior, large windows, and original wood features and old-fashioned counters inside.

The building was constructed around 1866 and began serving as the Provo West Co-op in 1869, a community-operated store that was part of a cooperative movement. This initiative by community members aimed to lower prices and strengthen the local economy by trading goods directly among themselves.

The store was run by the women of the Relief Society, who met on March 24, 1869, to plan it and bought Andrew Stewart's 1869 Center Street building. First called the "Female Store" and "Women's Co-op," it became the West Co-op, with Samuel S. Jones as manager.

The building stands on Center Street, where Andrew J. Stewart's 1869 store became the West Co-op. Its brick front was added around 1890. Look up at the second floor for the double-hung sash windows and the dentils and consoles aligned along the cornice, and at street level for the Tuscan columns on pedestals framing the entry.

The building became highly profitable and made over 200 dollars profit within its first months, a substantial sum at the time. This early success showed how strongly the community supported the business model and prompted others to open similar stores.