Overwaitea stores across B.C. are celebrating the 100th birthday of the franchise with cake and ice cream this Sunday.
Grand Forks Overwaitea is no exception. The store will have cake, ice cream and great specials in store on Sunday, March 8 from 12 to 4 p.m.
The Overwaitea store in Grand Forks has been around for 84 straight years starting in 1931.
The store currently employs 50 employees. Store manager is Dave Chappelle, while the assistant manager is Ben Lens.
Chappelle, who has been with the store since February 2010, said the store has been successful over the years in large part because of their support of the community.
“We support the community at every opportunity,” he said. “The people that work in the store are the community. We’ve got people working here that have been here for 30-plus years.”
Overwaitea has been involved with the Canada Day celebrations, Relay For Life, GFI and many more local events.
Chappelle said there has been many changes in the past few decades.
“Certainly the competition has changed, what we offer has changed,” he said. “We are still small town B.C. and we are limited to what we can offer. But at every opportunity we look at that and focus on it. Technology has also created all kinds of change.”
