A fixture in the Arborg business community is celebrating a significant milestone this weekend.

It's Smitty's Furniture's 40th anniversary, and co-owner Don Smith's reflecting on the roughly 35 years he's spent working with the business his father founded. He says it's hard to describe the

David Smith and Don Smithfeeling.

"On one hand I'm not surprised about it. What I surprised about is the size that it got to. We always viewed it as you needed a job, so you started yourself a job. My dad started with it and we just came on board. I'm not necessarily surprised about the length of the time, I'm just more surprised about the size that it grew to. We're about double the size that our initial intent was."

Smith realizes a store like Smitty's is unusual in a small, rural centre.

"There are maybe three or four of us left in the whole province, whereas when we started, every 30 miles there was a little mom and pop shop. Nowadays, that's just not the case. I think what really put us over the edge was, I've got say, our buying group. Join up with a like-minded group, and you have power in numbers."

Some of what will be part of the Sale of our Life
More of what's part of the Sale of our LifeSmith also credits continued growth for their success, stressing their physical location's the minimum necessary to service in a rural market.

"Every time that I think we're a little behind the 8-ball, in terms of size, you just increase it. As far as I'm concerned where we are for our physical size, I think that's the minimum size store that is able to survive in a rural market now. Otherwise, people have no reason to come or stop by, they just carry on to the city."

He says this weekend will see what they're calling the Sale of our Life, to mark 40 years in business.