UTICA, N.Y. -- An Oneida County store is celebrating 100 years of serving the community. Chanatry's Supermarket in Utica was honored this morning by a crowd of locals, along with county and the state leaders, for its century of business.
The store was founded in 1912 by brothers Michael, Raymond and Yorhaky Chanatry after they escaped their homeland during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It was eventually passed down to the current owner, William Chanatry.
He says since the store opened, the company has been dedicated to giving the community the personal service they deserve. He says although big box stores have moved into the area, Chanatry's has things larger stores don't.
"The big box stores aren't going to provide the service meats that we have, which is our gemstone and our produce. And there's no way they're going to match our personal service. And if we didn't have personal service you wouldn't see this crowd behind us," said William Chanatry, Chanatry's Owner and CEO.
Chanatry's also presented the House of the Good Shepherd with a check for $6,000.