The City of Medicine Hat gifted Health Products Centre owner Joyce Czember a certificate acknowledging the business's upcoming 60th anniversary.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat’s Health Products Centre, located downtown on Third Street SE, will be celebrating 60 years in business next weekend.
The family-owned business was established in 1962 by Elsie Czember. Elsie’s goal was to give community members access to herbal medications, vitamins and supplements, something her daughter-in-law Joyce Czember has continued since taking over ownership.
“We’re helping people find good health and stay healthy,” she told the News. “We work together to help people find more answers than just prescription medication.”
Health Products Centre carries a wide variety of herbal medications and supplements, as well as natural food products, medicinal teas and natural body care products.
Czember and her staff pride themselves on the relations they’ve built with customers.
“We’re just trying to make people feel welcome every time they come in,” she said. “And a lot of my customers have been here for years and years. And they’ve become my friends.”
Czember is grateful for the community’s continued support, especially over the past two years.
“We’ve been here a long time and we’re still hanging in here, even in spite of the pandemic and the hard times,” Czember said. “It hasn’t been easy, but we’re still here.
“I just want to thank customers for coming in and shopping with us and being dedicated. It means a lot.”
To show her gratitude, the business will be holding a two-day 60th anniversary celebration May 26 and 27, with door prizes, raffles, samples and product sales.
“I think it’s quite an accomplishment to be able to stay in business for 60 years,” Czember said. “It means a lot.”
While Czember says she’s not sure of the business’s long-term future, she hopes Health Products Centre will stay open as long as she is able to manage it.
