Orcas Island Market receives 2026 IGA USA Centennial Retailer of the Year award

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026

By Darrell Kirk

Staff reporter

Orcas Island Market has been named a 2026 IGA USA Centennial Retailer of the Year, an honor recognizing independent grocery retailers who demonstrate excellence in operations, innovation, employee development and community leadership.

The award, presented by the Independent Grocers Alliance, places Orcas Island Market among just nine U.S. retailers selected from IGA’s network of 7,600 stores worldwide. The store was nominated by its licensed distribution center, J.B. Gottstein.

John Ross, CEO of the Independent Grocers Alliance, traveled to Orcas Island to present the award in person at the store. In an interview with the Islands’ Sounder, Ross said: “This is our top award for IGA. Of those stores, we pick the highest performing, best representative of what family businesses do for their communities. And Orcas Island Market won our award this year.”

For the Linnes family, the recognition reflects more than a century of service. The store’s roots stretch back to 1897, and it is now operated by the fifth generation of the family. Co-owner Jacob Linnes and his brother Jason handle day-to-day operations.

“Being named an IGA Centennial Retailer of the Year is incredibly meaningful for our family and our team,” said Jacob Linnes. “For nearly 130 years, our mission has been to connect our community through food and service. This recognition honors the people who make that mission possible every day.”

Ross noted that operating a grocery store on a remote island presented unique challenges that made the recognition all the more meaningful. Getting deliveries to Orcas is costly — roughly $1,500 per delivery compared to around $400 on the mainland — and supply chains are vulnerable to weather and ferry disruptions. “Everything is 50 times more difficult,” Ross told the Sounder. “To have a store look this good and operate this well with all those limitations shows you’ve got great merchants running the store.”

Island Market’s community commitment runs deep. The store participates in a “Happy Healthy Kids” program that offers nonprofit children’s organizations, including Goliath Children’s House and Montessori School, a 20% discount on groceries year-round. The store also provides the local Funhouse after-school program with $10,000 in gift cards annually to ensure children have healthy snacks. Its Booster Club partnership donates $8,000 to $10,000 in food each year, helping the school program raise roughly $20,000 for sports.

The store also collects 25 cents per grocery bag — above the state minimum of 8 cents — depositing all net proceeds into a donor-advised fund at the community foundation to support local initiatives.

Orcas Island Market is the island’s only full-service grocery store. IGA, which stands for the Independent Grocers Alliance, supports independently owned stores across the country through shared purchasing power, training and marketing resources — allowing small retailers to remain competitive against larger national chains. The 2026 Retailer of the Year awards will be recognized at IGA’s annual international gathering later this year.