a free publication from the East end food Co-op
July 2026
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Is this you? Do you still have the costume? Inquiring minds want to know!
The Mysteries of the Co-op T
he East End Food Co-op’s history is no mystery; it’s lovingly detailed on our website, but here are some fun facts about our little community-owned grocery... David Zarembka, the progenitor of the Co-op, earned a degree in African Studies from Harvard and worked extensively for peace in Africa. He is credited with founding a school in East Africa, and authoring the book A Peace of Africa: Reflections on Life in the Great Lakes Region. David passed away in 2021 and is buried beside his late wife in Kenya. Membership is now 100 times the original rate. In 1972, $1 bought you a membership to the East End Food Buying Club. We think it’s still a bargain! The Co-op’s original storefront was
at 5474 Penn Avenue in Garfield. That address now belongs to the Pittsburgh Glass Center, a renowned non-profit, public-access school, gallery, and stateof-the-art studio dedicated to teaching, creating, and promoting glass art. Though inactive for safety’s sake, the produce storage area (internally known as The Pit) has an incinerator — a remnant of the building’s industrial past. The building that currently houses the Co-op, known as The Factory, was once home to the Auto Truck Equipment Company. Founded in 1920, they pioneered the design and fabrication of aluminum truck bodies and supplied companies such as the Keystone Grocery Company. The Co-op’s location is now considered part of Rockwell Park,
which began as a 24-acre industrial park during the Progressive Era (roughly 1890s–1920s). Among the most prominent tenants was Rockwell Manufacturing Company, which specialized in parking and taxi cab meters. The campus also hosted business interests related to George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison. The Co-op has had its share of radical neighbors over the years. The Factory was once home to Shady Skates, a beloved indoor skatepark that still elicits fond memories from veteran skateboarders. This space was adjacent to what is now Gymkhana. Equally iconic was Gatto Cycles, a bicycle shop that carried the latest and greatest mountain bikes, in the space now rented by Pivot Physical Therapy. Gatto specialized in the brand Cannondale, who manufactured their innovative frames in nearby Bedford, Pennsylvania. Apparently we’re not the only ones who love local! The Co-op has served as a filming location for several TV shows and movies, including the short-lived ABC sitcom Downward Dog. The 2020 comedy-drama An American Pickle starring Seth Rogan featured a scene filmed at one of the Co-op’s checkout lanes. Though largely panned by critics, the film espouses the value of traditionally fermented pickles, a subject near and dear to Co-op shoppers. In 1990, Jodie Foster was filmed right across the street from the Co-op, near the entrance to Commonplace Coffee, for a pivotal scene in The Silence of the Lambs. Are you privy to a little-known fact about the Co-op? Email us at info@eastendfood.coop and we’ll choose a winner to receive a Co-op care package!