BARRY’S BAY – There was a party atmosphere at Barry’s Bay Metro on Saturday, in celebration of their 20th anniversary.
Staff, patrons and passersby enjoyed the celebration on June 27 and 28, at the locally owned and operated Metro.
The store opened its doors for business on July 1, 1994, as Food Town, with an estimated 500 to 600 people in attendance, co-owner Gerard O’Malley indicated in an interview with The Valley Gazette.
Since then the business has had a few different names including Food Town, IGA, Loeb and now Metro for the last six years. However, the owners have remained the same.
The site where the store sits was purchased from Yakabuski’s Home Hardware. Eventually the store expanded when they purchased a house owned by the late Matt Conway. It was tore down to make way for the expansion.
For a couple of days this past week owners Gerard O’Malley and Neil O’Reilly, together with staff, hosted a number of activities.
On June 27, a cake was cut to commemorate their 20 years in business, followed by a barbeque, face painting and balloon creations on the 28th.
Get your July 2, 2014 edition of The Valley Gazette to read more of this story.