Owners of Conklin Reliable Market Say Farewell After 62 Years

For the last 62 years, the Gage family has been the proud owners of the much-loved Conklin Reliable Market but sadly, the time has come for the family to say farewell to the business that has become a staple in their community.

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In February of this year, we told you that we stumbled on a real estate listing for the Conklin Reliable Market and that we had discovered that the Gage family had made the difficult decision to place their small yet quite profitable family-owned market for sale.

When people think of growing up in Conklin, they always remember visits to the Conklin Reliable Market with fondness, sharing special stories of encounters with owners and employees alike. They tell stories of feeling welcomed and as though they themselves were honorary members of the market family.

The feelings of community, togetherness, and welcome are ones the Gage family hopes people will continue to feel as the torch has been passed and someone new takes ownership of the Conklin Reliable Market.

In a post to their Facebook page on Wednesday, July 7, the Gage family explained that Ken Gage worked at the Conklin Community Market before taking ownership of the store in 1964, involving his family in the daily operations. In 1994, John Gage, the third of Ken's five children took over the store, and since, the family has worked hard to keep Ken's vision of a friendly small-town market alive however, the time has come for someone new to carry on the legacy of the business.

In the real estate listing, the Gage family was looking to sell for $550,000 and that price included the business, including a full line of grocery staples as well as alcohol. Additionally, the asking price also included 18 employees, all furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

There is no word yet on how much the market was sold for or to whom, but in their social media post, the Gage family wrote, "We have passed the torch to someone new. We would like to thank all employees, past and present for being what makes the Reliable great, and every customer." The Gage family also encouraged their community to support local businesses.