In an economic sense, a cooperative is a business controlled by those it affects (informally, it's stake holders). A worker cooperative is a business owned by its workers; a housing cooperative is a house owned by its residence; a retail cooperative can be worker cooperative, or a business owned by its customers, or a combination. Cooperatives eliminate control of an organisation by those who are only interested in a profit.
Socially, a cooperative usually involves cooperation in the traditional sense, and a vibrant, do-it-yourself attitude towards pitching in and getting the job done. Rochester has several cooperatives of various kinds: Art Co-ops Dichotomy Rochester Genesee Center for the Arts and Education (Community Darkroom) NU MVMNT The Shoe Factory Art Co-op Consumer Food Cooperatives Abundance Cooperative Market / Genesee Co-op Natural Foodstore Genesee Valley Community Supported Agriculture Greater Rochester Urban Bounty (GRUB) Energy Cooperatives Rochester District Heating Co-op - A downtown steam co-op!
New York State Energy Cooperative Financial Cooperatives Credit Unions Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union Housing Cooperatives EcoHouse - Current/former U of R students with a focus on sustainable living. Flying Squirrel Community Space - A community space for artists, activists, and members of the Rochester community, located at 285 Clarissa Street. Little Flower Community Cooperative - "Another bright star in the Rochester Potluck Galaxy", located on Parsells Avenue.
S.H.A.F.T.N.C.L.E.X. - A community organization and housing cooperative on Averill Avenue. Further Afield Nickel City Co-op (Buffalo) Bread and Roses (Syracuse) Worker and Retail Cooperatives Dichotomy Rochester Hodge Podge Lodge LW Emporium Co-op - Antiques Main Street Mercantile - Gifts and antiques Ontario Mall Antiques Small World Bakery - A worker cooperative and bakery, owned and run by the people that work there.
Other In the City Off the Grid Extinct Cooperatives Ant Hill Cooperative Clear Eye Co-op Genesee Co-op Oswego Punk House