The popular convenience store/gas station, positioned strategically near the high school and on the route to the lakes, closed unexpectedly March 24.
Cyr purchased Ouellette’s Variety from Key Bank during the Keenan Auction on July 22, and since then he has been working very hard to get the store up and running as soon as possible.
“We’ve been working on the store for about a month now,” said Cyr. “We’ve easily put in about 100 hours a week remodeling the store and making sure that everything is ready.”
According to Cyr, the store was in pretty bad shape at first.
“There were a lot of things that were never finished and needed to be remodeled. We went through the whole store and put in new counters, new lighting, and new ceiling tiles. We also redid the floors and are generally getting everything back to the way it should be,” he said.
Among other renovations, Cyr is currently working to get a new cash register system in place.
“Right now, we’d like to get a computer register system in the store. Half of it is there, but it looks like someone took the other part. It could have been the gas company or the bank, but someone took a lot of it out. We’re working on getting that in place and also getting the deli equipment ready.”
Cyr’s main objective is to expand on the store and bring it back to its former glory.
“We plan on having groceries in the store, along with meat items, a deli, and a bakery. We’re hoping to bring it back to what it was years ago, a one-stop shop for everyone in the area. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think the people in the community will be happy. We’ve already had a lot of people stop by already asking when we’ll open. There has been plenty of good feedback all around. It has been a well supported store in the past and I’m hoping that the customers come back and support us because we hate to see it closed.”
Cyr added that he is definitely excited to open the store.
“I believe this store has great potential and a nice customer base. I grew up just down the road from Ouellette’s and I remember getting lunch there and walking by every day when I went to school. It brings back great memories, and I’ll be even more excited once things are done and the store is running.”
