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Craig's celebrates its 120th anniversary

The owners of the oldest continuously operating business in Olds are proudly celebrating the store's 120th anniversary this year.
webCraig’s original store
The Craig brothers opened “The People’s Store” in Olds near the turn of the 20th century.

The owners of the oldest continuously operating business in Olds are proudly celebrating the store's 120th anniversary this year.

Barb Schwab who is the fourth generation in her family to run Craig's -- a store specializing in fabric supplies along with women's and children’s clothing -- feels a sense of pride in carrying out the store's legacy.

“I feel very connected to all those who came before me in this business and the things that they went through,” said Schwab. “There’s a closeness to family carrying on this legacy.”

Schwab has the history of the store at her fingertips and that reminds her of the beginnings of this community.

“There’s a feeling of gratitude and connection that I have being a part of the history of this store,” she said.

Barb’s father, William Norman Craig, took over the business from his father, William Drake Craig. William Drake’s father, C.G. Craig moved the family to Olds in 1907 to join his brother W.M. Craig in running W.M. Craig & Co. The People's Store.

Craig's opened in June 1898 as W.M. Craig & Co. at a time when Olds was still part of the North-West Territories. It is said to have been a typical general store of the 1900s that served the needs of the community. It had groceries, hardware, dry goods, and you could even order your first car.

According to an account Schwab's father gave to the Olds Historical Society, "the store acted as a banker and a wholesaler as well as the retail side. The customers would bring in their crops to pay for the credit they had for the year. There were huge storage sheds in the back. The store would then ship the crop to Calgary and get the credit or cash they needed for the transaction. The store was the lifeblood of commerce in the area. They were the bankers, and the brokers for the settlers. The store was only paid once a year with the settler's goods, and the settlers had a year's line of credit with the store."

Over the 120 years that the store has been in business there have been many changes such as location.

For Schwab one of the biggest changes is the store phasing out men’s clothing in the 1980s and putting more focus on ladies' and children’s wear as well as fabrics.

Coming hand in hand with being such a long-running business is a strong connection to the community that the business resides in.

“Every day there’s someone who comes in and talks to me about the connection they have to this business, the memories that they have from when they were little and came here,” said Schwab.

She notes that throughout the summer season the store sees travellers coming in from all over because of the connection that they have with the store.

“That’s one of the most rewarding things of course, knowing that people have that connection back to this business and all the memories that they are fond of,” Schwab admits.

Customers mean the most to Schwab.

“I love the people,” Schwab said.

Additionally she loves the challenges that retail presents.

“I love the challenge of retail. I suppose when you talk about the changes, one of the biggest changes has been my competition.

“My competition is no longer in the community or even in the next community, my competition is worldwide with the Internet.

“So there’s new challenges that are new to this generation that are exciting,” said Schwab.

“Knowing what your customers want and trying to do your best to serve your customer is the same thing that it was in 1898 as it is in 2018.”

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