Home Hardware is planning a birthday party for a beloved employee who has spent close to three decades at the business, becoming “the face of (the) store” in the process.
Mark Adams has greeted customers at Orillia's Home Hardware, helped them find products, and taken care of shopping carts for close to 29 years, and, on Saturday at 11 a.m., the store is holding an outdoor party at its West Street location to help him ring in his 50th birthday.
“We wanted to offer the community an opportunity to come and celebrate his birthday with him ... because I know he means a lot to a lot of people,” said Home Hardware co-owner Chris Locke.
“He's been here for so long, and so many people have gotten to know him over the years that we want to celebrate here as his coworkers and his friends, but we wanted the whole city to have a chance to come in and say happy birthday to Mark.”
Locke said the store previously celebrated his 25th anniversary as an employee, and jumped at the chance to celebrate his birthday.
“He's part of the fabric of the store,” Locke said. “We celebrate him as much as we can because he's meant a lot to us.”
Over the years, Adams has become well known at the store and throughout the community, Locke said, noting he has been a great ambassador for the business.
“He just always has a smile and a laugh. He knows everybody's name and loves to say hi to everybody,” Locke said. “As the face of our store when you come in the door … I couldn't ask for a better person to be a representative of the business.”
As his 50th birthday draws near, Adams said he is excited to celebrate his birthday with co-workers and friends.
He said he has become wiser with age, and he hopes to transfer that wisdom to his work.
“I'm getting older, you know, but getting older and more mature so that I can improve the store better,” he said.
Adams recalled a former teacher who helped him get his job at Home Hardware, and he never looked back.
“I went from school to … Home Hardware, and the rest was history,” he said. “My teacher, who had passed away, she gave me a co-op job. She had an interest in me, so she went to Home Hardware to give me a co-op job.”
He said his favourite part of his job is getting to connect with others.
"I like saying hi to people and greeting people and, you know, laugh and joke about something,” he said. “I do my best around here, and it’s a nice environment.”
Home Hardware will be holding a sale on Saturday, June 24 to go along with Adams' birthday, Locke said, and food will be available for guests.
