Inclusive ethos at the heart of retail life

“The Quay Co-op has pushed boundaries since its doors first opened and has brought together groups and individuals for 40 years"

Arthur Leahy, co-founder, and John Calnan, manager, at Quay Co-Op on Sullivan's quay in Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

When Arthur Leahy looks back upon the decades of an eventful life, the Quay Co-op stands proud as an institution which has guided much of his life.

“When we began, the Quay Co-op started out as a political enterprise more than a business. But we had to find a means of funding ourselves to keep the organisation going, and that was really how the business developed. The first ten years of the Co-op saw it move slowly from being a political entity into a commercial enterprise around its restaurant and whole food shop.”