ABOVE: Individuals a part of the Trimont Town Center team, Julie Olson, Hayden O’Connor, Karla Geerdes, Jeff Lillevold, Cameron Salinas, Manager Gretchen Olson, Lori Poirot, Assistant Manager Jocelyn Schmidtke and Minny Atkins, and the surrounding community celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the business on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Trimont.

TRIMONT — While observing its 10th anniversary as a business, the team of staff and board at the Trimont Town Center continues to focus on strengthening the community in Trimont and beyond.

“It’s very humbling to see how much we’ve grown, as well as the community supporting and promoting us,” remarked Store Manager Gretchen Olson, on behalf of the 27-person team. Olson herself will celebrate seven years at the Trimont Town Center in October.

The Trimont Town Center was founded on Nov. 15, 2015, by a group of individuals who identified Trimont’s need for a grocery and general store. To celebrate this decade milestone, the Trimont Town Center hosted an in-advance celebration (to take advantage of the warmer climate) on Saturday, Sept. 13, for the community. Activities included a live music performance by Canaan James, giveaways and food vendors.

“We’re trying to find ways to bring in and build the community. I love that people want to support us, and I’m overly blessed to see that,” Olson said. “We want to do right by the community so that we’re here for a long time. It’s the staff and community that truly created all of this.”

Olson strongly appreciates the number of loyal patrons, including those have previously found alternative ways to get to the establishment amid a long-term construction of Highway 4, traveled from various places to visit and advocated for the business by word of mouth.

Olson shared that the determination of the staff members and the generous support and loyalty from the community have kept the Trimont Town Center operating strongly overall.

“The name really fits the Trimont Town Center. We’re a hub, and not just for Trimont. We have customers from Sherburn, Odin, Ormsby, St. James,” Olson stated. “We want customers to feel seen when they walk in. When you make relationships with your customers, you build a family, and it keeps growing.”

Olson mentioned that changes have not been made to the physical store, and the Trimont Town Center has seen notable success while in its current state. However, she recognized notable changes that are found beneath the surface.

“We have significantly grown and changed in mentality, and in how we try and do things. We want customers to come back. The layout hasn’t changed, but the staff has grown and learned. Everything we do is better than the last time. We have a great staff, and we’re always growing as a team,” Olson said.

In the future, Olson hopes to continue bringing opportunities to the area with annual holiday events, promotional offerings, vendor spotlights and more opportunities.

The Trimont Town Center is located at 500 Street Highway 4 South in Trimont, and is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The store offers groceries, deli, produce, fuel, liquor, hardware and miscellaneous essentials. More information about the Trimont Town Center and its offerings can be found by visiting the Facebook page, Trimont Town Center, or contacting info@towncenterinc.org or (507) 639-3908.