Article and Photos by Justine Parkinson
International Border Company of Malone, New York is a local icon and an absolute must-stop for anyone who lives, visits, works, plays, or is lucky enough to call the North Country home. Locals know it as IBC. The company was founded in the 1970s by Jerimiah “Jerry” Jones. Growing up on a farm in Chateauguay, Jones learned the value of hard work. By the time he was an adult, he had developed a knack for business and was determined to achieve the American Dream.
To get started, Jones traveled the country, buying all kinds of materials in bulk and bringing them home to sell to friends and neighbors. His first venture focused on building materials, but he soon shifted his concentration to clothing and footwear. Jones’ passion for the area and his inability to pass up a good deal led to his initial success. Needing a place to display his merchandise, he and his wife, Barbara, bought a small building on Mill Street in downtown Malone that wasn’t much larger than a residence. That was IBC’s beginning. Now, after five expansions, the company is a 30,000 square foot mega store — the largest retail space in the region.
To learn more about IBC, I met recently with the company’s current president and CEO, Jerry and Barbara’s grandson, Adam Oropallo. As the only child of working parents, Oropallo would go to the family’s store after school and stock shelves when he was growing up. “My grandparents were my after-school program,” he recalled fondly.
After high school, Oropallo moved to New York City and worked as a flight attendant for several years. In 2020, when the world shut down with COVID, he and his partner left the city and headed to the safety and comfort of his North Country home.
Not long after he returned to Malone, Oropallo assumed the leading role at IBC. “It has been a challenging time,” he observed, “but the formula laid out by my grandparents hasn’t required much tweaking. The store is built on the steadfast value of family and community — building trust one employee at a time, one transaction at a time, one conversation at a time.”
Today, IBC is the region’s go-to source for men’s, women’s and children’s clothing. Its selection of shoes and boots is the largest in the North Country. “No one offers more choices than we do,” Oropallo emphasized. “You will find brand names like Carhartt, Columbia, North Face, and Patagonia, Hoka, Red Wing and Timberland, and at very competitive prices. If you are a farmer, if you hunt, ski, are a snowmobiler, hike, enjoy water sports or go camping, we have what you need.” Looking for scrubs or safety gear? IBC has them. In addition, the company is the outfitter for outdoor workwear for local municipalities.
Customers from Plattsburgh to Watertown, Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, and further south into the Adirondacks make regular pilgrimages to Malone to outfit in time for summer, back to school, cold weather, or holiday shopping. The day I visited, planning for the Black Friday crush of shoppers was well underway.
IBC’s quality merchandise and its knowledgeable and helpful staff of 30 – half are full time — is what brings customers back. The average time an employee has been with IBC is a little over eight years. Oropallo is following his grandparents’ emphasis on employee retention, incentivizing them by tying their compensation to their contribution to the success of the business and it is working!
When asked about how brick and mortar stores can compete with online retailers who may be perceived as having an advantage, Oropallo invited shoppers to directly compare items on the floor at IBC with those online. “I believe they will be impressed,” he commented.
Oropallo is proud to be part of the change he wants to see in the world and is currently building his own legacy in the community. He is a director of the Malone Chamber of Commerce. “Malone is home for me,” he said. “The area is robust and unique and is poised for a lot of growth.” He is also president of the Foothills Art Society. “I am very impressed to see the schedule of events and offerings that Foothills puts on for the community. It is exciting to see it grow into its new space on Pearl Street and I am honored to be a part of the process,” he said.
As our conversation ended, Oropallo spoke fondly about his grandparents and his memories. “My grandparents both had deep roots in the community. People remember their generosity and their kindness. When my grandfather passed away in 2021, he and my grandmother had been married for 52 years. My grandmother, now in her 70s, stays busy with family and friends. I credit being raised in a generational family that instilled my work ethic and core values.”
International Border Company has grown exponentially from the small sales floor on Mill Street where Jerry and Barbara started out. “My grandparents were the heart and soul of this business,” Oropallo explained. “They were proud of getting to know generations of area families and valued the confidence those families placed in them, returning year after year for over 40 years.”
It’s easy to see why everyone would want to keep up with the Joneses.
International Border Company (IBC)
40 Mill Street
Malone, NY 12953
800 483-5331
Comments