It was a day of celebration and fun at the local Belk store Wednesday morning, as the national retail company officially celebrated its 125 birthday. Local manager Threasa Hall welcomed associates and invited guests at an 8:30 a.m. breakfast before the store’s opening.

The celebration moved outside to join the more than 100 expectant customers, some of whom had been waiting in line since 7:30 a.m. in hopes of being one of the first 100 customers in the door at 9 a.m. and receive a gift card.

Following comments from Hall and Mayor Edward Reynolds, special presentations were made to the three associates with the longest continuous terms of employment. They were: Linda Newsome, 38 years, Nancy Shattles, 35 years, and Threasa Hall, 34 years. Two members of the management team, Suzanne Phillips (29 years) and Stacey Ponder (25 years), were also recognized for their years of service. Retirees were also recognized by Hall.

The first Belk store was opened by William Henry Belk on May 29, 1888, in Monroe, N.C. Now in the third generation of the Belk family, it is nation’s largest family owned and operated department store, with over 300 locations in 16 southern states. The local store was said to have been in operation for more than 60 years, and one customer, Billy King, said he remembered when the mall store was built in 1974.