Community owned Co-operatives in the Arctic are multi-purpose businesses that provide a wide range of services to their members and their communities. Services provided by local Co-ops include retail stores, hotel and tourism operations, cable television, arts and craft marketing, fuel distribution, construction & heavy equipment services, property rental and a variety of agency type services. Yellowknife Co-operative was first run by volunteer staff. Today it employs more than 70 people in its grocery store, which includes a bakery and deli. The Co-op also has a state-of-the-art gas bar and convenience store. Membership  consists of over 4500 families. The Co-op is a strong supporter of the community groups in Yellowknife. Yellowknife is the largest community in the Northwest territories, with a population of about 18,700. It is a very beautiful community, boasting modern facilities and active people. Services available rival any Southern community of this size making the community a very pleasant place to live and work.