Arthur James Coleman
Arthur James Coleman was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, on November 25, 1902, the only son of Arthur Coleman Sr. and Mary Gracie.
In 1934, Arthur and his wife, Margaret, moved to Corner Brook and set up a confection store. Moving to a new location one year later, the business grew steadily. The inventory was expanded to offer general merchandise, groceries, dry goods, hardware and crockery.
In 1950, the Colemans took the innovative step of opening the first selfserve grocery store in western Newfoundland in the basement of their home. Self-serve grocery stores caught on in western Newfoundland, and during the 1960's and 1970's, the company expanded operations to include other grocery outlets in Corner Brook, Deer Lake and Port Aux Basques. The company diversified into clothing and furniture retailing.
Ventures into automotive dealerships, gasoline retailing, real estate and the restaurant business were also made during this period of rapid growth.
From humble beginnings in a small store on Broadway in Corner Brook, Arthur’s business has grown to an operation employing 600 people throughout Newfoundland. The present-day company is run by third generation Colemans and operates twelve supermarkets, four furniture stores as well as a clothing and restaurant business. Outside of the large national chains, the Coleman Group is the largest integrated independent wholesale and retail operation in Atlantic Canada. In 1998, the Caribou Road outlet in Corner Brook was recognized as the best grocery store in Canada by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
Arthur James Coleman passed away on January 10, 1970.