Chris Rietmann and his wife, Colleen, know retail. For five years, they ran a shop in Keene, New Hampshire, selling locally produced jams, jellies, crafts, candles and artwork. “The shop was in a good location with lots of traffic, and we did OK, but it wasn’t popping like we thought it might,” he said.

That prompted them to sit down and think about what kind of store would do better in such a high traffic spot. Naturally, they came up with a convenience store, and Mighty Moose Mart opened in December 2020. “We came to New England from the Mid-Atlantic region where we’ve seen the success of Sheetz and Wawa, plus the New York-style bodegas, and really, in our area, there’s nothing like those stores,” he said.

Food as Cornerstone

For Rietmann, the backbone of the store would be its fresh foodservice. “A lot of country stores have a deli counter in New England, but we wanted to go beyond that and do something more,” he said. Since the store doesn’t have gas pumps, he decided to put more effort into the foodservice. All fresh-made food can be ordered via touchscreens.

However, since he retrofitted the former shop, there wasn’t room for a full kitchen. Instead, they built a prep area similar to a Subway restaurant layout and installed a speed oven to keep costs down and cooking times fast. “It’s worked out great so far,” said Rietmann.

To add spice to the basic sandwiches made with roast beef, turkey and ham, the store has a wide array of toppings and homemade sauces. “We go beyond mayo, with sriracha/mayo blends, homemade horseradish sauces and a signature chili lime sauce, all of which we make in the kitchen,” he said. “We like to experiment with different sauces to constantly surprise our customers. It’s not a big investment to make a batch of a new flavor combination.”

We don’t want to be the old, staid corporate convenience store.

Beyond lunch sandwiches, Mighty Moose Mart serves breakfast and dinner, with sandwiches, wraps and crispy chicken sliders. “Because we’re small, we can try new menu options in a smaller quantity until we see whether or not our customers like it,” Rietmann said. “We see our competition as both quick-service restaurants and other convenience stores, so we want to be seen as an alternative to either of those.”

The menu also reflects the store’s former life as a source for local goods, with a local hot mustard available as a condiment and for sale and a quarter-pound bacon maple cheese dog made with local ingredients. “We will likely build up our local section again as we see how products sell, but right now, we are sticking to a few top-selling items,” he said.

The merchandise mix is heavy on beer, wine and ready-to-drink (RTD) categories. “We see RTDs as an up-and-coming category and have invested in those products, while we’ve seen a drop in the seltzer market and have stopped stocking so much of those beverages,” Rietmann said.

He also is working on adding more healthy items to the store, such as fresh pickles, pickled green beans, hummus and olives, but concedes that the market for traditional salty and sweet snacks is huge. “We enjoy trying new products that are a little bit more healthy and believe some, if not all of those, will stick,” he said.

A Different Drummer

Mighty Moose Mart has developed a reputation for being a little offbeat. A sandwich board with replaceable lettering welcomes customers outside the store. “Right now, it says, ‘Have Fun,’” Rietmann said. “We don’t want to be the old, staid corporate convenience store.”

To keep the store fresh, Rietmann pays attention to industry trends and tries to be first to bring them to his market. “For example, we’re keeping a close eye on beverage trends to see what will be the next kombucha,” he said. “We’re mindful of the pulse of the industry and of what our customers are saying to stay on top of trends.”

He views the future of the convenience and fuel retailing industry very optimistically. “We’ve been around for less than a year, but I do feel that we’re making a difference in changing the perception of the entire industry,” he said. “This industry as a whole is definitely moving forward, and everything we’re doing, someone else is doing, too.”