Celebrating Michigan's century-old retailers

In the first five years of the Michican Centennial Retailers program, MRA turned up 64 retail establishments that have hit the century mark. This year’s efforts have produced another 11.

The group of retailers joining the list has sold jewelry, hardware, early farm equipment, cars or good food—sausages, bread flour or fine chocolates.

This year’s Centennial Retailers were honored at the Michigan Retailer of the Year Awards luncheon on October 11 in Lansing. Each received a bronze plaque and a certificate.

“Surprisingly, most of this year’s Centennial Retailers are well over 100 years old, and two are over 150 years old,” said emcee Adele Uchida, of Lansing’s WILX News 10. “We welcome sixth- and seventh-generation retailers here today.”

Raymond Hardware
Port Sanilac - Founded 1850
Founded by Uri Raymond, Raymond Hardware remained in his family for over 100 years. The store has been at its present location since the 1860s and is recognized as a historic location by the county historical society. The current owners, the Blaine family, have been operating the store since 1999.

Graafschap Hardware
Holland – Founded 1860
Graafschap Hardware was not named for its founder but for the small Dutch community of Graafschap, founded in 1847, now a part of the city of Holland. A. H. Brink’s original “general” store sold walking plows, harness buggies and wagons. Current owner Harlan Lubbers is a seventh-generation nephew of the founder.

Star of the West Milling Co.
Frankenmuth – Founded 1870
Since the Hubinger family founded Star of the West Milling Co. in 1870, it has grown substantially, to its current 15 locations in five states. It was a family-owned business until 1903, when it was restructured as a 50-man local partnership. In 1929 it was incorporated as a publicly owned corporation. It currently offers 19 flour and wheat products.

Gilbert Chocolates
Jackson – Founded 1900
The candy made by J.O. and Mary Gilbert as a hobby led J.O. to open a candy store in downtown Jackson. Its reputation for fine chocolate grew, and the business evolved into a chocolate factory. The Gilberts sold the business in 1957 to the Austins, who reopened a retail store in 1991. In 2003 Bill and Scott Blakemore bought the business.

Schaefer & Bierlein
Chrysler Dodge Jeep
Frankenmuth – Founded 1852
Schaefer Blacksmithing opened shop in 1852 to shoe horses and repair wagon wheels. In 1914 Bernhard Schaefer and partner George Rummel added another kind of wheels: automobiles. Current owner Randy Bierlein is the founder’s great-great-grandson, and this year his son, Kyle, joined the business, taking it into the sixth generation.

Sieb Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
Monroe – Founded 1868
The plumbing company founded by Matthias Sieb claims to be the oldest continuously family-owned plumbing and heating company in the nation, spanning five generations. The name and location of the store have remained unchanged throughout its 138-year history, according to current owners Richard and Robert Sieb.

Bond Decorating
Iron Mountain – Founded 1891
After 20 years on Hughitt Street, Bond Decorating—founded by Ernest Bond in 1891—moved to Carpenter Avenue, where it remained for 80 years. In 1990 Bill Bond, grandson of the founder, sold the business to his friend and employee, Toni Lori, and co-owner Bob Haglund, who moved the store back to Hughitt Street.

DeVries Jewelry
Grand Rapids – Founded 1901
Siebern DeVries was only 22 years old when he started his Grand Rapids jewelry store. When he died at the young age of 42, his wife ran it until their son, Gerald, was ready to take the reins. Gerald passed it to his son, Dennis, and the fourth generation, Daniel and David DeVries, have joined their father.

Willi’s Sausage Company, Inc.
Frankenmuth – Founded 1905
The Rupprecht family opened a Frankenmuth butcher shop and sausage-making business in 1905. In nearby Vassar was Willi’s Meat Market, owned by Willi Becker, a master sausage maker from Germany. In 1978 Willi’s bought the Frankenmuth store and, a few years later, changed the name to Willi’s Sausage Co. Current owner Rob Holzhei bought the business in 2002.

A. B. Milkins Co.
Wyandotte – Founded 1905
In 1905, 18-year-old Archibald Burdette Milkins started a business in a theater lobby in Wyandotte, selling watches, jewelry, ice cream, postage and eyeglasses. The business he began, A. B. Milkins, is now a thriving jewelry store in its fourth generation of operation and owned by Douglas Milkins and his wife, Janine.

Milkins Jewelers of Monroe
Monroe - Founded 1905
This jewelry store also traces its origins to the small business started by Archibald Burdette Milkins in a Wyandotte theater lobby. The Monroe store, which opened in 1972, is owned by the founder's grandson Bruce and great-grandchildren Burdett and Diane Milkins.