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New Poland grocery aims to be a true convenience store
POLAND
A new township grocery store doesn’t want its customers to leave their vehicles.
Larry’s Drive Thru and Mini Mart will open in about two months at 3305 Center Road, the former location of Knights of Columbus, said store owner Larry Ornelas.
“I’ve talked to many moms who don’t want to take their kids in and out of the car, especially in bad weather,” he said. “They want to pick up their stuff and get on their way.”
The store will stock mostly canned and dry goods at first, but will partner with local growers to provide fresh produce, Ornelas said.
“It’s going to have a mom-and-pop look,” he said.
And perhaps most important, customers can place their grocery orders online and pick them up at their convenience, Ornelas said.
Mike Kushner of Poland-based Serve Right Software is designing a specialized program for the store’s website. Kushner said it’s the first time the company has done this type of project with a grocer.
“We do mainly restaurants, complete online ordering,” he said. “The order will go through the Web order and then Larry’s will start packaging.”
Kushner said that at some point, customers will be able to pay for their food online and eventually there will be home-delivery service, too.
Although there is a walk-in retail area of the 7,000-square-foot store, the focus is on the three drive-through windows, one of which will be designated specifically for the Ohio Lottery, Ornelas said.
The store will be supplied by United Sales and Distributors. Diane Ornelas, Larry’s wife, is the president of that company, which purchases grocery products from manufacturers for a group of local independent stores. Larry said the drive-through will stock name-brands and have an organic section.
Larry said the Poland location will be the model for future “Larry’s Drive Thru and Mini Mart” stores.
The Knights of Columbus building had been on the market for about six to eight months, said Robert Monus, township zoning inspector.
Monus said before the sale, the hall was not used on a weekly basis.
During construction, Larry said that builders re-used blocks from the Knights of Columbus concrete structure.
“We didn’t have to take anything to the dump. All the steel was going to be recycled. It’s a very green project,” he said.
Larry has high hopes for the store and thinks the location along U.S. Route 224 will be beneficial.
“We’re going to show the independent [stores] are able to compete with larger stores,” he said.
For more information and coupons, go online to Facebook.com and search for “Larry’s Drive Thru and Mini Mart.”