Lehi’s Pioneer Party sold; will remain with Ekins family

In 1962, Garff Hall (formerly the Lehi Opera House) was razed by local pharmacist Abe Ekins. Ekins planned to construct a new building to house a pharmacy and other entrepreneurial enterprises. Melvin Anderson, a local builder, built the modern facility. Abe had already been the Lehi Drug Store druggist, having bought the original 1917 business from his father-in-law Gerald Taylor. 

Abe Ekins’ new building would be the perfect expansion of this vital community service. After operating his drugstore for over thirty-four years, Abe, sometimes called “Honest Abe,” sold the business to his son, Dale G. Ekins, who recently sold the company to his daughter, Emily Ekins Ames, continuing a family tradition to the fourth generation. 

Abe was always known for his easy conversational manner, and Dale continued in his father’s inimitable way. The drugstore was always a place to fill prescriptions and have friendly and fun banter. In 1989, The Lehi Drug Store was the largest independently owned drugstore in north Utah County. 

The drugstore took on a new and exciting inventory and ambiance as the years went by. Karen, Dale’s wife, and their daughters discovered Lehi shoppers liked to remember friends and family with small, inexpensive cards and gifts—thus, in 1995, Dale sold the pharmacy to K-Mart, and Lehi Drug was renamed Pioneer Party and Copy. As the popularity of the items grew among Lehi’s citizens, a website was created, and business exploded. “We sometimes had more than 1500 orders a week to create and ship,” said Emily. 

The success of the unique gift bags and clever sayings were attributed to many creative women. Dale said, “We have always had creative ladies on staff. They worked very hard and always had new ideas.” 

“The sale of Pioneer Party and Copy has been planned for two years. Should we keep the business in the family? Should we sell it to an outside person? Or liquidate and sell the property? We have had a lot of interest from individuals who wanted to buy the business, but Emily and her husband stepped up and wanted to continue the legacy.” One of Dale’s other daughters, Sarah Barnhurst, is also staying with the business, keeping the balloons, gift baskets, and LDS gifts fun and fresh.

Emily and her husband, Dan Ames, a BYU professor, have many ideas and are excited to continue the business, including adding a special section of the store dedicated to the unique history of Lehi. Emily said, “We want to highlight Lehi and its history. We plan to add a corner of the store featuring original Lehi memorabilia. We visualize a place where Lehi visitors can buy merchandise representing this amazing community. We think our history is intriguing and fun for a lot of people. I visualize a counter where customers can purchase fountain drinks and bulk candies, especially gummy candy. We want to continue Dale’s legacy of creating a unique customer experience.

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Dan is equally excited about the expansion and renovation of the building. “As a civil engineer, I was exploring the basement of the building and found a treasure trove of 70 years of ancient technology. I don’t have deep roots in any community, and I look forward to having a place where people can visit the history of Lehi. When I moved to Lehi, I felt like I had been baptized into the Lehi culture, and I love it.”

Emily plans to continue and expand the store’s printing capability. “We print a lot of house plans and love it when a builder leaves the store with prints and a gift for someone special.”

 Dale laments that parking will always be a problem but said, “Hopefully, the city will figure a way to provide more parking for historic Lehi downtown visitors.”

Dale is eager to visit places he and Karen can see while both can travel. He will continue serving the community through Meals on Wheels and the Lehi Rotary Club. “I want to visit Scotland, where I served a mission, and Karen would like to go to Norway, her ancestors’ homeland. I will still be an advisor for the business. I enjoy staying busy with so much to do.” Dale also loves seeing his granddaughter Anna working in the store as part of the fifth generation of the family,

The Ekins family is planning a retirement celebration for Dale sometime soon.