Did You Know? Furnald Hall Housed a Student-Run Grocery Store

Columbian, 1980 edition

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n March 1976, a group of students opened a co-op grocery store in the previously unused basement of Furnald Hall. In a March 21, 1978, article for Spectator, David Brown ’76, who spearheaded the co-op’s creation, reflected on the 18-month process — from battling bureaucracy, to getting alumni support, to rousing student enthusiasm — and how the co-op had grown since its opening. The co-op “is run by students who see it as being in their own best interests to sell food cheaply, provide good jobs for other students, and create a pleasant atmosphere in the store,” he wrote. The grocery store was popular with students for offering goods at lower prices than other stores on Broadway, and remained open until 1989.