American Retail Coal Association Exhibitor

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The fifth convention of the American Retail Coal Association was held at the the Sherman Hotel in Chicago in June of 1939. The ARCA was a group of local, state, and regional coal associations located in 27 states across the U.S. and represented coal merchants who marketed the majority of retail coal each year.  During the 1939 convention, Lee Attridge of Flint, Michigan was elected as the association’s President.

In the first half of the 20th century, the retail coal industry, which included all coal that was used for residential and commercial use, made up approximately 20% of the coal market. The Chicago-based association was also part of the American Retail Federation, which was made up of more than 800,000 retail outlets across the country.