VentureEntrepreneursHistoryCurated

11 of Edmonton's oldest businesses still in operation today

Allison Stephen
Allison Stephen
|
Sep 17 2026, 5:51 pm
11 of Edmonton's oldest businesses still in operation today
Vadim Gouida/Shutterstock

There are more than 158 businesses in Edmonton that are over 100 years old, with some dating back to the 1800s, according to the City’s recently released 2025 Business Census, and we’re taking a look back at the places that have defined our city from the start.

This is by no means a definitive list, but we’ve rounded up some of Edmonton’s oldest businesses, including a couple that got their start elsewhere in the Prairies before eventually making their way to the city.

From optometrists to law firms to sporting goods stores, here are 10 of Edmonton’s oldest businesses that are still in operation today.

United Sport & Cycle (1928)

Just shy of its 100th anniversary, United Cycle was incorporated in 1928 and started out as a small operation with just an owner and a handful of employees. The business built strong ties with local athletic clubs, community leagues, and sports teams early on, while bikes were an important form of transportation and customers could often pay for them a dollar a week. After the Second World War, United Cycle and Motor Co. Ltd. was formed, eventually bringing together several small bicycle and sporting goods stores at 10342 82nd Ave., where Vivid Print is now. Today, you can find United Sport & Cycle in its massive Gateway Boulevard location, with its iconic giant Stanley Cup statue out front.

Fun fact: the original phone number “31181” is still used, although today the number is a little longer (780-433-1181).

Address: 7620 Gateway Blvd. NW

Acme Meat Market (1921)


Acme Meat Market has been serving Edmonton for 125 years, with its roots tracing back to its original location on Whyte Avenue. The longtime butcher shop then spent decades at 95 Street and 76 Avenue before moving across the street into Ritchie Market in 2017. The business has remained family-owned throughout its history, with the Meyer family becoming the first owners outside of the Pheasey and Eldridge families since the shop was founded in 1921.

Address: 9570 76 Ave. NW

Fairmont Hotel Macdonald (1915)

The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald has been a defining part of Edmonton’s skyline since it opened in 1915, with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company officially opening the hotel on July 5 that year. Built as a railway hotel, the Chateauesque-style building was designed to accommodate passengers travelling through Alberta on the growing rail network. The hotel has also welcomed royalty over the years, including the future King Edward VIII, who stayed there during a visit to Edmonton, and Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who stayed at the hotel during their 1951 royal visit to Canada.

Address: 10065 100 St. NW

Dr. Gilbertson & Associates (1901)

Dr. Gilbertson & Associates has been around since 1901, when the Edmonton optometry clinic first opened its doors. It has stayed in business continuously ever since, meaning it has been checking generations of Edmontonians’ eyes for the last 125 years.

Address: #112 11910 111 Ave. NW

Edmonton Chamber of Commerce (1889)

The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has been advocating for local businesses since 1889, 16 years before Alberta became a province. Originally founded as the Edmonton Board of Trade, one of its early goals was bringing a railway to the city. More than 130 years later, the Chamber continues to bring together Edmonton’s business community and support local businesses as they grow.

Address: #600, 9990 Jasper Ave. NW

Edmonton Country Club (1896)

The Edmonton Golf Club, which would become the Edmonton Country Club, was established on April 4, 1896, when Edmonton was still part of the Northwest Territories. It started with 14 members and a basic five-hole course near the current Alberta Legislature grounds, before moving to the location it sits on today.

Address:Ā 6201 Country Club Rd. NW

McCuaig Desrochers LLP (1895)

Many of Edmonton’s oldest continuously operating businesses all appear to be law firms, so if you’re looking for a recession-proof career, this seems to be a pretty steady one. One of those law firms is McCuaig Desrochers LLP, which traces its history back to June 1895, when Alexander Cameron Rutherford arrived from Ontario and opened a law office near the railhead of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway. Rutherford, who would go on to become Alberta’s first premier, was also the first lawyer to set up shop on the south side of the river, in what was then the City of Strathcona.

Address:Ā #1801, 10088 102nd Ave. NW

Duncan Craig LLP (1894)

 

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Duncan Craig LLP has been providing legal services in Edmonton since 1894, working in areas including business, litigation, family, and estate law. The firm moved into the second floor of the Merchant’s Bank Building in 1909, on the site where Rice Howard Place now stands, and has never strayed more than a few blocks from the area since. It has weathered everything from the First World War and the Great Depression to the Second World War and the shift from typewriters and stenographers to computers, all while continuing to operate in the heart of downtown Edmonton.

Address: #2800 10060 Jasper Ave. NW

Pioneer Press (1894)

 

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Pioneer Press has been serving Edmonton since September 1894, when it was founded by R.J. Pettapiece. The local printing business was sold to the McDonald family just two years later, before being purchased by Jim Edgar and the late George McEwen in 1963. More than 130 years later, Pioneer Press remains a local business, with some employees having stayed with the company for 30 years or more.

Address: #5638 103a St. NW

Emery Jamieson LLP (1893)

Emery Jamieson LLP was established in Edmonton in October 1893, 12 years before Alberta became a province. Nicholas Du Blois, Dominic Beck, and Edward Corrigan Emery entered into a partnership to practise law under the firm name Beck & Emery, the predecessor to Emery Jamieson. The firm moved to the Canada Permanent Building in 1910, then the Imperial Bank Building in 1954, before moving its offices to the 24th floor of MNP Tower in 2021.

Address: #2400 10235 101 St. NW

Parlee McLaws LLP (1889)

Parlee McLaws LLP is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Edmonton, although the firm actually got its start in Calgary in 1883. Six years later, in 1889, it opened an Edmonton office and has been part of the city’s business community ever since. Today, the firm provides legal services in areas including corporate law, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and more.

Address: 10175 101 St. NW

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