Brown & Saenger, one of the largest independent commercial furniture dealers in the Upper Midwest, celebrated 125 years in business Thursday, including in Minot where the company has done business for the past 17 years.

“Being 125 years, moving into North Dakota, 17 years ago (is a reason to celebrate). We are a local company, we are here for a long time, and we still are the company that offers lots of customer service,” said Cheri Ostlund, manager of the Minot store.

“We are going because of the oil boom, and we have also been established as a commercial furniture and supply dealer for so many years that people are surprised how well we can compete with the big stores,” added the branch manager.

The local store is decorated with headings in big, bold black and white reading “Celebrating 125 years,” and full of free bites that brought in dozens of people to partake.

Among dozens that were jamming the store, there were around seven Ambassador Committee members from the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce who were there to cut a ribbon marking the celebration.

The company was started in 1889 and its corporate office is based in Sioux Falls, S.D. There are three branches in South Dakota, and five in North Dakota; each in Bismarck, Fargo, Jamestown, Mandan and one in Minot. Some of the specialties of the company are office furniture, promotional products, professional printing, business products and janitorial supplies.