After almost two months, the former Shell Food Mart at 2900 Eaglecrest Drive reopened Friday under new ownership and with a new name — Chief’s Corner.
The station closed in June after its owners, Crescent Oil of Independence, Kan., filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. Greyhound bus service, which had operated out of the Shell station, also was interrupted by the closing; the bus service now operates out of the Short Stop Phillips 66 at 2000 Industrial Road.
The station is now owned and operated by Shrunjal Investment, LLC, with Ashish Patel running the store.
Patel said it has taken about a month to get Chief’s Corner up and running at its former capacity as a gas station and convenience store. Not everything is in place yet — the station does not yet sell lottery tickets — but those plans are in the works.
Greyhound service might return to the station soon; Patel is meeting with Greyhound representatives to work out the details to become an agency for the bus lines.
Patel also is busy finding new employees for the store. Right now, he is working there himself, but he said he hopes to hire three or four employees to help in the station’s operation.
The Chief’s Corner will be open from 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. seven days a week.
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
these convenience stores are a gloryified version of the old mom and pop grocery store. at one time emporia had a bout 50 of them and they had the really good meat. my brother and i used to buy candy bars 3 for a dime and sell them to the kids for a nickle a piece.
August 4, 2009 at 11:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )