Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
OK Economy (Grocery stores)
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
[ca.1926 - 2000?]
History
The OK Economy was a Saskatchewan chain of grocery stores started by the Schellenberg family. The Schellenbergs were European Mennonites who had moved to Osler, Saskatchewan, in 1912. They changed their name to Shelly to give themselves a more Canadian identity. In 1925, they took a trip to research the Loblaws grocery stores in Eastern Canada, which ran on a cash, self-service basis. The OK Economy would follow similar principles as the Shellys opened 5 grocery stores in small towns north of Saskatoon. By 1929 there were 26 stores, including one in Saskatoon. The chain would later serve as a wholesaler for other Saskatchewan grocery stores.