A story by Rebecca Wagner and Tara Owen
Randy and Mary Hamilton opened Alva’s Market on February 2nd, 2005. It was eight in the morning, a time they will never forget. Alva, a rural town in Northwestern Oklahoma, needed a family-owned grocery store after Homeland went bankrupt and had to close its doors. Alva went three years without a family-owned grocery store. Mr. Hamilton, who worked for Homeland, felt the desire to help the community by providing a family-oriented shopping experience.
When the Hamilton’s started to make plans to open their market, they checked with banks for financial support and got turned away by most of them. One bank though, the Alva State Bank, believed in their project and decide to help. There were also many different community members that help their start-up as well. Todd Holder, one of the owners of Holder Drugs, went with Mr. Hamilton to get the shelves for the store. Several community members made their trucks available and invested into the market. When asked how the community has helped their business, Mrs. Hamilton shared a story of the first delivery that the market received. She mentioned that “30 community members came to help unload the first truck and have shown the same support ever since then.”
The very first customer that went through the lines on opening day was Richard Ryerson. The market to this day is like a family, and the community and the employees make it feel that way. When asked how the Hamilton’s have maintained their business so well, they told us that they have had more than 300 employees over the years, and without all those different employees nothing would have been possible. At Alva’s Market, you can find many unique items that cannot be found anywhere else in Alva. Mrs. Hamilton listed some of those items, including a variety of spices, Red Ridges Milk, as well as specific products that customers request. Even if you are in town just for a day, don’t forget to stop by and get the lunch special of the day!
