There is only one word to describe how George Bingham feels.
"Proud, very proud."
George is the General Manager of Teske Pet & Garden Center in Moline, Illinois and Bettendorf, Iowa. On Saturday, March 31st and Sunday, April 1st, 2012, the family business will celebrate 90 years in the Quad Cities.
"There's only two other businesses in Moline that are older than us and we're friends with both, of course," says George.
Of course. Teske's motto is and has always been "Where Homes Come to Life." George says their customers are their friends and their employees are their family. In some cases, literally. Teske's employs 50 people and now 12 are Bingham family members.
"To have a family business last in this economy and the way things have gone the last few years, we're just happy as heck," says George.
George's Grandfather, Al Teske, started the business in 1922 as a seed and feed store. Fast forward to 1955, when the family remodeled and expanded the store after a building fire, adding the Gardening Department. Nearly 40 years later, the Bettendorf store opened at the site of the former Mr. Home Grown. Since then, Teske's has expanded its services to include pet grooming, dog training, coral reef fish tank maintenance, lawn mower repair, and delivery.
"We have nothing to do with the way we started out," says George. "It's completely different... lawns and gardens. My Grandpa used to pick up cow manure and sell it door-to-door and now we're selling pets and making manure."
Festivities will start Saturday, March 31st at 9am. "Zanie Janie and Crew" will be making balloon animals for kids at both the Moline and Bettendorf locations from 1-3pm Saturday. "Miller's Petting Zoo" will be at the Moline site on Saturday and the Bettendorf site on Sunday from 10am-4pm. There will also be plenty of sales going on throughout the store and drawings for prizes, including one for a free puppy.