Meet Your Neighbor: Susan Quarles

This month, we sat down with our neighbor Susan Quarles to chat about her experiences being a Co-op community member, and her perceptions of the Co-op’s past 20 years of growth.

Susan has been a Co-op member since 2005 and has been an integral part of our board for years. She previously served on the Bozeman Public Library Foundation Board and currently serves on the board of the Bozeman Actors Theatre alongside her role at the Co-op. She also volunteers to provide legal assistance to low-income community members.

Before Coming to Bozeman

Prior to joining our Co-op, Susan lived in New York City where she attended Purchase College and New York Law School before finding work with NBC News, and later, work as a litigator on Wall Street. After moving to Bozeman, she spent several years as an instructor at Montana State University. Her experience in litigation and education has followed her into her work with the Co-op.

“I think that as an attorney, I'm always thinking about justice, equity, and making sure that people are treated fairly. And as an educator, I'm always really wanting to make sure that people in the community have great access to information,” she said.

Susan has been involved with Co-ops for her entire life. When she was young, she was a member of the Hyde Park Co-op in Chicago, and in New York City she was involved with the Park Slope Food Co-op. So, when she moved to Bozeman with her family, “It wouldn’t have occurred to me not to join the Co-op.”

The Growth of Our Co-op Community

“One of the things that really drew us to Bozeman was the sense of the community, and it seemed like the Co-op was just an integral part of that community,” Susan said.

Since becoming a member in 2005, Susan has noticed a growth in the community aspect of our Co-op. From the physical expansion of the store (the opening of the Co-op Downtown and expansion of the Co-op West Main), to the expansion of the Co-op’s demographic base, the community has grown significantly in the last 20 years.

She has been delighted to see the new generation of students and young families who have found a home here. “I would love for the Co-op to be seen as a place for everybody in Bozeman to shop. I would love for it to be seen as a place for everybody to come together and to gather and to hang out,” she said.

With the community’s continued growth, Susan says the Co-op has a responsibility, now more than ever, to provide information about “how to eat healthy, how to eat economically, and how (your) choices will affect the community, the region, and the world.”

Maintaining an Inclusive Co-op

Susan believes “Co-ops have a really great role that they can play in working towards equity, fairness, and justice.” One aspect of this role is the ability to provide a platform for important conversations about understanding the experiences of marginalized community members. As a Co-op, we strive to provide an environment where everyone can feel safe and welcome. But, as Susan points out, this often isn’t enough.

“People who haven’t lived the experience of a discriminated against minority don't necessarily understand what it is to be a to be Native, to be Latino, to be Black, to be LGBTQIA,” Susan said. “Opening those conversations and having people understand what the experience of others is, starts to bring that insight to where there might be things like microaggressions and even more blatant examples of racism.”

For Susan, it connects back to her experiences as an educator, and her strong belief that everyone in our community should have easy access to information. “When people understand everything that's going on, they can work better to challenge those things.”

Looking Forward

In her 20 years with our Co-op, Susan has volunteered in every role on our board except for treasurer. The part she loves most about serving on the board is the support she feels from other board members. “In any of the roles that I have on the board, I never feel like I'm doing something by myself,” she said. “That's a really wonderful thing for any organization to have that kind of cooperation and that cooperative spirit.

“It's always a better community, and I think it's because of the commitment and people who live in Bozeman. People who live in Bozeman love Bozeman, and they support Bozeman, and they work to make it a better community. The Co-op is a key part of our community. It's almost a nexus, I think, in its diversity,” Susan said. “I love living in Bozeman and I love being a part of the Co-op community.”


Written By: Xander Danenhauer