In an age of corporate-owned everything, it’s nice to know that the Vineyard is still a place where you will find family-owned businesses that are run by and for Islanders.

Cronig’s Market is exactly that kind of business, long synonymous with quality and customer service.

One hundred years ago today Samuel Cronig opened a grocery store on Main street Vineyard Haven. An immigrant from Lithuania, Mr. Cronig was a founding member of the Jewish community in Vineyard Haven who arrived in America in 1905. He embodied the American dream of working hard and getting ahead and left a long legacy in the business community on Martha’s Vineyard that endures today.

“Through the years every adult person on the Vineyard has come to know Sam Cronig by name and reputation, and everyone trusts him,” the Gazette wrote in 1942 on the occasion of the market’s 25th anniversary. “When character among men is under discussion, it is an everyday occurrence to hear Sam Cronig referred to in a manner that places honesty and dependability upon a high plane.”

Steven Bernier, who bought the market from the Cronig family in 1986, has carried that legacy forward with his store — actually today three stores, Up-Island and down-Island Cronig’s and Healthy Additions.

And much like his predecessor Sam Cronig, Mr. Bernier is a model community grocer and businessman who has a strong connection to his customers. Every early morning Mr. Bernier can be found outside one of his stores, broom and dustpan in hand, sweeping the parking lot. His customers know where to find him — and often do — sometimes stopping to chat, give a bit of consumer feedback or ask about his solar arrays, where drivers of electric vehicles can power up for free.

Cronig’s stores remain known for their quality and customer service. Both grocery stores sell a wide array of produce, meat, yoghurt, cheese and eggs grown by Island farmers. There are generous discounts for Island Card holders — extra generous this month in honor of the store’s centennial.

In Cronig’s earliest days, groceries were delivered by horse and buggy to townspeople. Later Sam Cronig bought an oversized truck to make deliveries. Today the custom of delivering groceries is long past, but other customs remain in place at Cronig’s, including old-fashioned charge accounts.

Happy birthday Cronig’s — that’s a whole lot of candles on the cake. Long may you prosper.