Terni’s celebrates 98 years

MILLERTON — Standing proudly at 42 Main Street in Millerton, Terni’s, the village’s favorite gear shop, celebrated its 98th anniversary last month.

Following their immigration from Parma, Italy, Paul and Assunta Terni opened the store for business on July 19, 1919. Though the building was originally used as a saloon, it was purchased by the Ternis to serve as a general store.

Nearly a century later, members of the Terni family continue to run the store and have kept it to its original design without instituting any major changes. Its basic inventory includes fishing tackle, clothing, tobacco, firearms, ammunition, Pendleton wool shirts, sweets and other equipment. Sporting goods were introduced to the store’s inventory by the original owners’ son, Arthur, around the 1930s.

“These kinds of stores are pretty much all gone,” said present owner and third-generation shopkeeper Phil Terni, “but here we are today. People wonder how it’s been here so long. It’s kind of unusual today.”

In addition to Terni and his wife, Ellen, Terni’s currently operates with the help of a few part-time employees. The store’s hours of operation are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.

When asked to identify a favorite memory of the store, Terni said there were too many to count. One of his favorite parts of owning the store, though, has been interacting with so many different people for so many years.

“It’s been fun, and there’s been some hard times. But I’ve met a lot of people, and they all have been nice to me,” he said. “It’s the folks you meet and you kind of become part of their families, part of their ways. You’re with them in their sickness, and you hear about their good times and their bad times. You become part of their routine.”

Terni expressed sincere gratitude to those who helped keep the business running for so long.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the people who have worked with me here,” he said.

When asked how he celebrated the store’s anniversary last month, Terni replied, “I came to work,” with a laugh.

Throughout the day, he said that he mentioned the anniversary to the store’s customers, most of whom were impressed by the length of time that Terni’s has been in business.

With regard to the store’s future, Terni said that he would like to see it continue in the village of Millerton for years to come, but added pragmatically, “I’ll have to see what happens.”