The southeast corner of Main Street and 100 West tells several remarkable stories of Lehi commerce.

Thomas and William W. Taylor opened the first store on the property in 1858. Their firm served as an exchange intermediary between Lehi townspeople and the large U.S. military base at Camp Floyd.

In 1868, it became home to the Lehi Union Exchange, a pioneering cooperative founded by Israel Evans and his father, David. Inspired by a successful cooperative Israel saw on his mission to England, the Exchange allowed residents to trade produce and other goods for merchandise. Its success drew the attention of Brigham Young, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the April 1869 General Conference, Young praised the success of local co-ops, specifically mentioning Lehi, saying they “come the nearest [to] keeping the cake and eating it of anything I know.” Within a year, the Church opened Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), spreading the cooperative model across Utah and impacting Utah’s economy for more than a century.

In 1904, William E. Racker transformed the same property by combining adjoining buildings to create Racker Mercantile, the elegant Renaissance Revival landmark that still stands today. During the next century, the building, functioning as one or two entities, became home to a remarkable collection of businesses and organizations, including Goodwin’s Golden Rule, Gilchrist Hardware, Lehi’s National Guard Armory, Davis’ Market, Larsen’s AG Market, Silver Dollar Market, Greenwood Carpets & Furniture, LaFeria Reception Center, the Colonial House, the Lucky 7 Barn Dance, Dr. Worlton’s dental office, the Lehi Sun, Banks’ Appliance and Hutch’s Lone Eagle Trading Post. Today, the beautiful old building is home to Parker Brown Real Estate.

This marker celebrates not only the building, but the visionaries, merchants, workers and customers whose lives shaped this corner of Main Street. Their stories remind us that history is woven into the places we pass every day—and that preserving those stories helps strengthen our community for generations to come.