Yes, you can make a living by being fair and honest. At least, that’s what Ben Santamauro, owner of Ben’s Shell Service Center & Towing in Orange, Connecticut, concluded. “I’ve been working at this station since 1966 and bought the property from Shell in 1986,” he said. “We’ve had some changes, but one thing has stayed the same: We’re fair, we’re honest and we do a great job.”
The family-owned and -operated business has been chugging along for more than half a century, and it still provides the same great service to the community. “When I bought it, it was half the size of our current store and two automotive repair bays,” Santamauro said. “Now we have a larger convenience store, four service bays, 24-hour towing and other services, in addition to the working bays.”
A Family Business
In the beginning, Santamauro worked seven to midnight as mechanic, bookkeeper and gas pumper. A widower, his three sons eventually joined him in the family business, but a few years ago, two of those sons died. For the past 13 years, he and his second wife, Andrea Santamauro, have been in business together. “Andrea runs our advertising and our convenience store,” Ben said. “Many of our employees have been with us for years. For some, it was their first job after getting their driver’s license.”
That longevity has translated into a community asset for Ben’s Shell Service. “We get compliments all the time on our staff because of their friendliness,” Andrea said. “We’ve been lucky to hire the right people, who with good training, have become a major reason why people stop by Ben’s Shell Service.”
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Ideas 2 Go showcases how retailers today are operating the convenience store of tomorrow. To see videos of the c-stores we profiled in 2019 and earlier, go to www.convenience.org/ideas2go.
The interior's nostalgic vibe is a nod to the 1960s when owner Ben Santamauro began working at the gas station. His wife, Andrea, stocks the c-store with 10 to 15 different types of old-fashioned bulk candy in addition to the traditional c-store essentials. Many of Ben's employees are long-timers.
Andrea carries that welcoming attitude over to the station’s active Facebook page. “We get a lot of customer interaction on our page, maybe because we post a lot of dog pictures,” she said. “We also support the community through giveaways and donations to local churches, youth sports groups and ‘adopt-a-family’ around the holidays.”
When they added the convenience store in 2016, they knew they wanted something different. While Ben’s carries much of the same merchandise as other convenience stores, such as coffee, prepared sandwiches, chips, tobacco, alcohol, lottery tickets, grocery essentials and snacks, the Santamauros put their personal stamp on it.
We have 10 to 15 different types of old-fashioned bulk candy,” Andrea said. “We also have toys for kids like Hot Wheels, tiny tow trucks and motorcycles, which sell really well.”
Personalized Merchandise
But what really sets Ben’s apart from the competition is its branded merchandise, nostalgic decor and jewelry. “We ride Harleys and love old cars, so much of our decorations inside the store echo that,” Andrea said. For example, some of the signage comes from the 1960s when her husband started working at the gas station.
The jewelry appeals to bikers, with a lot of blingy skulls and stars adorning the bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings. She also brought in wallets, flip flops and belts, which are sparkly and eye-catching. “These kinds of things sell very well,” Andrea said.
Ben’s also has its own branded apparel with the old car and motorcycle logo prominent on t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies. “It’s great advertising for us, and people love to buy it,” she said.
Like all retailers who stayed open during the coronavirus pandemic, Ben’s Shell Service had to adapt to keep customers and staff safe. Andrea brought in disposable gloves for the gas pumps, and staff wore masks as directed by the local health department. Extra cleaning every half hour of high-touch surfaces in accordance with regulations kept the station operable.
Ben's stocks classic toys like cars and motorcycles to delight kids and their parents, while edgy jewelry and accessories appeal to the store's many biker customers.
“We brought in tube masks, since those are what bikers like to wear anyway, instead of paper masks,” Andrea said. “That fit in more with our products and gave us another chance to give our customers something a little bit different.”
Overall, the Santamauros hope to continue serving their community for years to come. Andrea often scouts out other gas stations when out of town to bring back new ideas for Ben’s. “My hope is that when people leave, they’ll remember our friendly service—and enjoy how different we are from other convenience stores,” Andrea said.
Bright Ideas
At Ben’s Shell Service & Towing in Orange, Connecticut, it’s the little things that customers remember. For example, owners Ben and Andrea Santamauro give out dog treats and have bowls of water for pooches. They also provide full-service gas pumping during the day for any customer who honks for it. Those requests ticked up during the coronavirus pandemic, as “a lot of people didn’t want to get out of their car and pump gas themselves,” Andrea said.
But the husband-and-wife pair firmly believe it’s the personal touch that brings customers back. “We greet customers with a friendly hello when they enter,” she said. “Those from out of town often post on our Facebook page that they’ve never been to a friendlier, nicer or cleaner convenience store.”