Equity Co-op celebrates 100th

For the last 99 years, Malta’s Equity Co-op has welcomed customers through their busy doors and last Wednesday, to celebrate their 100th year in business, store employees welcomed over 300 more customers for a party and barbeque as a way of saying thank you to the community for helping with the store’s longevity.

“It was phenomenal,” Equity Co-op manager Mark French said. “The weather was perfect, there was a huge turnout and it was a great day.”

French said the turnout was so great that Ray Harms – owner of Ray J’s Barbeque who catered the event – had to leave Equity Co-op and return to his store for supplies on a few occasions.

“He had to go raid his pantry,” French said. “We cooked a whole pig and then found a couple more to help out, it was perfect. Ray J’s knows how to serve people and the food was great.”

Prior to the celebration on Wednesday, Equity Co-op held a shareholders meeting before lunch was served. The day included door prizes, sing-ups for raffles for items provided by Equity and many of the vendors and an open house of which put the store’s newest expansion -- a 40'x72' addition decked out with red balloons.

“People didn’t realize how much stuff we have,” French said of the new floor space. “Some of the people who hadn’t been here since the expansion were surprised and excited. There was a lot of enthusiasm from the customers and they are so happy that they don’t have to run out of town to buy some of this stuff and a lot of our stuff is cost-competitive.”

French said Equity wouldn’t have been the success it was without the local customers and the community and thanked the people who keep the store’s shelves stocked with goods as far as prizes for the event were concerned.

“A lot of our suppliers and distributors put up product that we sell through here to give away at the party,” French said. “So they were phenomenal in supporting our day. There are too many to mention, but it does need to be mentioned that the suppliers, dealers and distributors put up a lot of the prizes that were given away that day, it was a nice gesture to say ‘thank you to the community’ and not just from the Co-op, but from them as well.”

As Equity Co-op heads into its 100th year, the store and its employees already have their eyes on the next 100 years.

“From the first 100 years, the second 100 years is already starting off with a bang,” French said. “It’s because of the community and our customers and we are starting our second hundred years running, not walking.”