Northern Hardware and Furniture marked its 95th anniversary this weekend with a three-day celebration and sale.
The Prince George Heritage Commission presented the landmark downtown business with the 2014 Heritage Citation Historic Places Award at a cake-cutting ceremony Saturday afternoon. Hundreds came out to drink lemonade, eat cake and hotdogs, enter to win prizes and take advantage of the deals offered at The Northern, as it is often called.
"We're just so appreciative," The Northern CEO Kelly Green said. "It just reinforces that The Northern is still here and going strong."
The Northern has been in Green's family since 1919, and the company was previously lead by her father Ted Moffat, grandfather Harold Moffat -a former city mayor -and great-grandfather Alex Moffat. It was Alex Moffat and partner Frank Whitmore who founded the company after buying out the Northern Lumber Company in 1919.
Green, who has worked in the store since she was 18, said the store has had to evolve and change over its history.
"When we started we were doing handwritten receipts," she said. "Today's challenge is dealing with social media and online shopping. When the customer comes in they often know more about the product than you do because they've researched it. [And] there is a lot of competition in town."
Green said The Northern has focused on having knowledgeable staff and providing great customer service.
"What really makes us different is customer service. The service we provide is something that, from day one, is what keeps us going," she said. "I'm so grateful for the staff we have. I have staff that have been with us 40 years."
Local historian and Prince George Heritage Commission representative Valerie Giles said The Northern has played an important role in the city's history.
"There are special, historic places in our town and certainly this is one," Giles said. "During the hard times in the 1930s... they extended credit when no one else would. They operated on the barter system when people had no money."
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond said she's always found the store's motto, "If we don't have it, you don't need it," to be true.
"I can tell you some of my favourite purchases have been made here," Bond said. "It is an icon, it is a fixture in our community. [I'm] proud to be here to celebrate, and I can't wait to be here for the 100th [anniversary.]"
Mayor Shari Green said she was proud, on behalf of the City of Prince George, to celebrate the 95th anniversary of an iconic family business.
"That's... a testament to the kind of family the Moffats have been. It's a great store and a great family," Green said.
