Thursday, January 26, 1956.

THE TRIBUNE, WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C.

Gala Opening of New Food Centre

Two pictures in comparison are these sh

ots of the
old 100 Mile Store at left, and right part of the in-
terior of the new 100 Mile Food Centre. With a volume
of business that doubled in the last year and a half,
the old store has been crammed with stock to service

customers, In the picture of the new interior, store
manager Michael Cecil (left) and Bridge Creek Estate
manager Ross Marks look over plans of fixture lay-out.
The new store cost between $70 and $80,000 to con-
struct and equip.

100 Mile Called ‘‘Fastest
Growning Centre In Cariboo”

100 Mile House is living up to the boast of its
residents that it’s the fastest growing community in

the Cariboo,

Still hardly more than a stop-
ping place at the side of the
road five years ago, its develop-
ment started first around that
time, and in the past two years
its growth has been little short
of, phenomenal.

Today there are about 14
business establishments doing a
roaring trade at 100 Mile. Some
206 residents now live on the
townsite, and this spring, ac-
cording to Bridge Creek Estate
manager Ross Marks, more land
will be opened up=for residen-
tial development, with 15 peo-

ple already signed up for lots.

Residents last year construct-
ed a large community hall, with
an-addition housing two sheets
of curling ice.

An enthusiastic group of town
and district men have organiz-
ed a Lions Club and the service
organization will hold its char-
ter night early next month. Busi-
Ressmen are also investigating
the formation of a merchants’
organization to assist with or-
derly development of the town-
site.

Latest contribution to the ap-
pearance of the townsite was
the installation last week of 14
mercury vapor type street lights.
Twelve of these are along the
highway
street. F

Construction of the 100° Mile
Food Centre marks the first ma-

and two on a side

jor departure from the highway
business development. The new
store is located a block off the
highway and more business
growth in this area is looked
for in the near fature.

100 Mile House has come a
long way and its future is just
starting, according to the com-
munity’s boosters, who include
everyone living there. The en-
thusiasm is contagious, you
aren’t around the residents very
long before you begin to look
through the same rose coloured
glasses of optimism.

Store Mirrors

Growth

Of 100 Mile Community

The growth of 100 Mile is
mirrored in the development of
its oldest retail establishment,
100 Mile Store.

The 100 Mile was, of course,
one of the major stopping places
on the Cariboo Trail back in the

days of the fabulous gold rush,
and to cater to the needs of the
travelling public, a lean-to on

the side of the old stopping
house kept a stock of goods.
This was the beginning of the
store. The original building was
destroyed by fire in 1 but
long before that, probably
around 1916, a log building had
been erected on the store’s pres-
ent site and the business moved.
This buslding too was destroy.

CHILDREN’S

ME:

v’S RUBBERS (all Styles)

All Children’s Overshoes
Selling from $5.50 down

FEBRUARY

Hi

During this Month-Long,

ALL CHILDREN'S
SNOW SUITS
AND JACKETS

RED PLAID OVERSHOES,
all sizes, Reg. $6.95
Z SALE $5.49

WOMEN’S OVERSHOES,
Fur Trimmed, Reg. $9.50

$7.19

SALE

MEN’S HEAVY

A real opportunity to save on Overstocked Lines

Store-Wide Sale

10 %

OFF

Straight 10% Reduction on

ALL MEN’S JACKETS

WOOL SHIRTS

Full Line of .
MEN’S TROUSERS (all weights)
ME.

REDUCED PRICES ON

LADIES DRESSES

AND SWEATERS

CONGRATULATION

To 100 Mile

Food Centre

And our best wishes for your continued success

in your new,

modern

premises

ROBERTSON’S READY - TO - WEAR

100 Mile House

3 DRESS SWEATERS — V and Crew
Neck, Cardigans, Pullovers

ed’ by fire in 1946 and the pres-
ent store erected on the ashes.
With the exception of construc-
tion of an addition in 1953 to
handle the post office, the build-
ing has remained substantially
the same since that time.

Lord Martin Ceeil.
father of the present manager
Michael Cecil, came out from
Wngland and took over active
management of the store and
ranch. As the ranch grew, he
had to devote more of his time
to the general management of
Bridge Creek Estate, and the
store itself was put under an
individual managership.

These managers over the past
years have included Chas.
Forbes, A. H. Christensen, D. C.
Mitchell, Frank Protzenan and
Harold Box. Of these men, Mr.
Christensen is still living in 100
Mile.

All through the years the busi-
ness was of the “general store”
type, stocking everything from
groceries to hardware and cloth-
ing. But with the amazing
growth of the community over
the past two years it became ne-
cessary to either drop some lines
into a department-store
The former
method was chosen and last year
the store disposed of its interests
in dry goods to Robertsons
Ready-to-Wear, and in hardware
to Nicol Supply Ltd., retaining as
its main lines groceries and meat

in 1

Feb,

3

100 Mile Store One
Of The Finest in Interior

Residents of 100 Mile House and district will have
at their disposal the services of one of the most up-to-

date food markets in the

Interior with the opening

February 3 of the 100 Mile Food Centre.

The large grocery store, se-
cond only in size in the area of
the Interior from Kamloops
north to a chain store outlet in
Kamloops itself, has an overall
area of 4500 square feet. Of
this 3000 feet is actual sales
space and the remainder ware-
house.

Customers will find that ex-
pense hasn’t been spared in
bringing the facilities of a mod-
ern self-service store to the area.
To keep fresh fruits and veg-
etables in “garden-fresh” con-
dition, 16 feet of gleaming
refrigeration cases have been in-
stalled. Stretching along the
same wall of the store is another
16 feet of refrigerated dairy
cases.

The self-service refrigerator
cases also extend to the meat
department, offering the first
such meat service in the area.
Another 22 feet of case is used
for this purpose.

Display ‘islands: are of enamel
coated steel and are made up in
sections for variation of food
display. Shelves on the islands
are also adjudstable. This type
of shelving is extended to the
wall areas as well.

The store has two automatic
check-out stations with provi-
sion for a third if it is needed
later.

eMilady will do her shopping
to the accompaniment of popu-
lar recordings at 100 Mile Food
Centre. The music is ‘piped’ from
a record player in the store office
to ceiling outlets throughout the
store.

The move of the store to its
new building on February 3 will
be appreciated by customers and
workers alike. With the volume
of business doubled in the past
year as 100 Mile took its larg-
est expansion strides, the old
store was jammed to the rafters
with stock. Using the same num-
ber of employees (7), the store
in its new premises with triple
the floor area of the other build-
ing can handle double the vol-
ume again that is being handled.

The Food Centre from the ex-
terlor presents a smart, modern
appearance. The main frame is
of concrete block construction
and the front of the building
consists mainly of large display
windows. Aluminum sash and
glass doors set in aluminum
frames give maximum visibility
to the store interior.

At one corner of the building
a large pylon faced with Roman
tile dominates the view. It tow-
ers 15 feet above the roof line

and will be the background for
the main part of a huge neon
sign that has yet to be installed.

Construction on the building
started in mid-October last year,
and the crews of Montgomery
Construction Company of Wil-
Hams Lake, contractors on the
project, battled weather most
of the time to beat their Febru-
ary deadline.

During the two days marking
the official store opening, cus-
tomers will have the opportun-
ity to share in the “prizes and
surprises” being offered by the
management.

These include, among other
items, turkeys for door prize
winners, theatre passes for those
purchasing a certain amount. of
meat, and 15 cameras that. will
be given away on a draw oper-
ated through the purchase of
Alsweet margarine.

Manager Designed
Modern Store

Customers looking over the
ultra-modern 100 Mile Food
Centre will be surprised to learn
that the entire project was de-
signed by its young manager,
Michael Cecil, whose studies at
school in: England included
neither designing or store’ man-
agement. :

Back in 1954 from seven -
years at Eton, Michael’took over
the family store in May of that
year. He plunged into the work
with the quiet thoroughness that
characterizes this young ‘tian,
studying the store’s methods
from the ground up.

When it became apparent that
expansion was going to be ne-
cessary, he prepared himself for
that eventuality as well. For
the better part of a year he ex-
amined large food storey when-
ever he travelled to another
centre, walking around the prém-
fses with a tape In nne hand and
a notebook in the other. When-
ever he saw an inovation that

appealed to him he made a note
of it to incorporate the idea into
his own store. 2

This thorough attention’ to
detail has paid off handsomely
in the finished project.

Canada, with an area of
3,845,774 square miles, is the
world’s largest country after
Russia.

Congratulations

To the Management of

100 MILE FOOD CENTRE

This ultramodern Store is an outstanding
addition to the community and one we

will be proud of,

*

We are also pleased to make an announcement of our own —

We now handle Sales and Service

ot

G. M. Diesel Power Units

From 135 Mile South

Nicol Supply Ltd

100 Mile Heuse