The location came first for Stone Ridge Station in Santa Claus, Indiana. “The four owners decided this would be a good place for a convenience store, since it’s right off a highway and down the road from Holiday World amusement park,” said Joyce Fetter, general manager, Stone Ridge Station. Keith Hedinger, Eric Kress and father and son Tim and Nick Waninger bought the land and built the store and forecourt with fuel pumps and Tesla chargers.

A NEW BUILD

The owners wanted to create an inviting place through the service, products and décor. Warm wood tones and a cathedral ceiling give the place a rustic and welcoming feel. “The Stone Ridge Station emblem is in burnt wood and contributes to the pastoral atmosphere,” Fetter said.

From its inception, Stone Ridge Station’s focus has been on fresh foodservice. The store invites customers to linger over a meal in its outdoor eating space with a roof and picnic tables, as well as an indoor dining area. A coffee bar and slushie machine provide liquid refreshment. In the grab-and-go cooler, items such as yogurt parfaits, fruit cups, salads and cold sandwiches are made in house daily.

Stone Ridge Station sells Noble Roman’s pizza and Charley Biggs Chicken, in addition to its own burgers and plate lunches. “We offer roast beef, meatloaf, bratwurst and fried shrimp entrees with sides of mashed potatoes and au gratin potatoes, and desserts like cobbler,” she said. “We sell a lot of plate lunches for eat in or takeout.”

Beyond foodservice, the merchandise mix has the usual convenience store fare of packaged beverages, snacks and candy. “But we also carry a lot of camping supplies because Lake Rudolph and Lincoln State Park are nearby,” Fetter said. The store has a large stock of bug spray, charcoal, RV toilet paper and other supplies, bait and fishing equipment, firewood and, of course, s’more fixings and campfire forks.

The store also carries a big supply of automotive products and has an extensive selection of frozen foods, from half-gallon ice cream to frozen pizzas to dinners. Stone Ridge Station stocks some branded merchandise, such as can coolers and lighters, but no apparel or caps.

FRIENDLY SERVICE

One of the things that makes a trip to Stone Ridge Station stand out is the welcoming employees. “We put our extra-friendly employees to work at the registers and have a core group of workers who have been here a long time and who are really good with customers,” Fetter said. “I watch how our employees interact with customers, calling the regulars by name. There’s a group of older guys who come in here every day of the week to have coffee and talk, which shows how comfortable our store is with the locals.”

With the store having a lot of land surrounding it, there’s room for semis to park in the back. “We have truckers who come through, and they can stay for a bit because we have parking for their trucks,” she said.

Fetter is meticulous about keeping the place clean. “I’m a little OCD about cleaning, and we always get compliments on how sparkling the store is—that makes me feel good,” she said. “Customers know they can stop here to use the restroom or pick up something to eat because it’s a very clean place.”

The store has several billboards along the highway, as well as an active presence on Facebook. “With the amusement park down the road and the lake close by, we’re always busy,” she said.

Overall, Fetter hopes customers leave Stone Ridge Station “with a happy feeling they got great service in a clean, comfortable environment. Our employees know customers come first, and that’s how we want them to experience our store.”

With supply chain crunches and soaring costs on everything from fuel to food, smart category management is essential for retailers. "We're not going to make any money if we don't have a handle on what we're paying for our products," said Joyce Fetter, general manager at Stone Ridge Station in Santa Clause, Indiana. "The prices from suppliers are rising so fast, if we don't adjust the price tags, we'll lose money."

With deliveries coming in every day from different wholesalers and suppliers, Fetter has made it a practice to review each invoice to make sure she knows whether a price adjustment is needed on a particular product line. "It's hard to keep up, but I've found when I don't, then our bottom line isn't as healthy as we'd like," she said.

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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 2021 and earlier, go to www.convenience.org/ideas2go.