I grew up behind the cash register of a convenience store that my folks had owned and operated. They evolved the business over a span of 25 years to meet market needs and then after my dad got sick it closed and remained that way for another 10+ years. It should be noted that the building itself is just shy of being 100 years old.
The interior of the store was in very bad shape and needed a serious overhaul, which I began working on during my spare time. The photos below show the finish makeover along with some custom tables, stools and a retail countertop that I had made.
This was a huge undertaking at the time. I also lived roughly three hours away, so a lot of drive-time was spent.
I had thought about opening up a coffee shop or something similar, but then the pandemic hit and I’ve not had the time to invest in it further. I would like to eventually do something with the place, but who knows?
When my folks ran the store, it was called the Hillside. The land the store sits on runs along a portion of Mack’s Creek in Mecosta county. That said, I thought a fitting name, should I ever get something up and running, would be Mack’s Creek Emporium! We will see what the future holds for this tiny store.