October 26, 2009In an early CDP post, I talked about how so many local places are referred to as "the old" this or that, so that a relative newcomer like myself has no idea what people are talking about. I'd try to get directions, only to find that I couldn't understand them because I didn't know where "the old" (whatever) used to be. It had been gone since before my arrival in Astoria. The building you see here will probably be referred to as "the old co-op" for some time to come.
The food co-op is alive and well, but it's moved from this wonderfully funky building on Duane and 14th to a newer building on Exchange and 14th that has much less character. I'm sure the new place serves them well (I should say "us," since I'm now a member), but I recall the first time I walked into the building shown here. I thought I'd stepped into a piece of San Francisco from the hippie days, and I loved it. So, until someone moves in and gives the location a strong new identity, it's still "the old co-op" to me, and probably to many others as well. I wonder what else it used to be? Maybe someday I'll have more time to do the research.
