photo by: Journal-World

The Merc is located at 901 Iowa St.

The Watkins Museum of History is celebrating 50 years of a Lawrence grocery store and its impact on the community in a new exhibit.

Called “50 Years of Cooperation: The History of The Merc Co+op,” the exhibit will feature original signage loaned by the co-op and explore the store’s origins during the politically charged 1970s and its growth in the following decades.

“The Merc Co+op’s first 50 years are a fascinating story, covering five store locations and thousands of members,” said Andrew Stockmann, the museum’s exhibitions manager, in a news release. “The store has done a great job preserving its history through photographs, handmade artwork, signage, and oral histories.”

The exhibit will run from Saturday through Nov. 16.

Visitors will be able to share reflections in a guestbook and to attend a public celebration at the Watkins Museum, 1047 Massachusetts St., from 2 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 19.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.