Originally Posted by VegasTriker

Probably not very easy. I was there when a couple of avid cyclists started the Yellow Jersey Bike Co-op in Madison, WI in the 1970s. They were tired of not being able to get quality parts locally and at a reasonable price. They joined together and found enough students who were willing to kick in money to join the co-op and fund the start. Even once they got established the local banks were unwilling to lend them money for stock. It did become very successful after a time. Today it is no longer is located in Madison and is no longer a cooperative. These days you have so many online sources it probably would not make sense to those who started the business.

if you simply Google on "Starting a Cooperative" you will get lots of answers