photography / Troy Boman Handy Corner owner Kathy Anderson talks with regulars inside the store Thursday morning. The convenience store has always been a popular hangout for Grantsville residents.

by Natalie Tripp

CORRESPONDENT

A family-owned Grantsville store that has stood its ground for more than 30 years will make way for a corporate chain this Friday.

The Handy Corner, a gas station and convenience store on the corner of Main and Quirk streets, was purchased by Circle K on April 11. The changeover will become official Friday when the Circle K sign goes up.

Owners Ty and Kathy Anderson decided to sell the establishment after meeting with Commerce CRG, a real estate brokerage company that helped work out the deal.

"We're very sad to see it go," Kathy Anderson said. "We have a lot of loyal customers and some of our employees have been with us for as long as we have owned it, but we just felt that the time was right to sell."

Handy Corner evolved from a series on businesses. In the early 1920s, the Log Cabin Campground, managed by Dave and Alice Judd, sat on the corner right along the Old Lincoln Highway. Five log cabins where the A & W Restaurant currently stands were rented out to travelers until the late 1930s. The business was handed down through the daughters of the Judd family, and changed ownership several times, with familiar Grantsville family names like Williams and Lawrence among the owners.

In the 1940s, the campground was upgraded into the White City Motel with rooms instead of cabins. A swimming pool was later installed under the ownership of Orville "Dutch" Price.

The business was renamed Handy Corner in the late 1970s after the old Handy Corner convenience store that stood just east of the Benson Gristmill in the 1920s. Chuck and Pat Anderson bought the establishment in 1985 and sold it to their son Ty and daughter-in-law Kathy in 1998.

Throughout the decades, the store has served generations of Grantsville residents and become a gathering place for the community.

"When we were in high school, that's where we hung out," said Anderson, who also grew up in Grantsville. "Everyone has a favorite memory of Handy Corner whether it's in the old building or the new one. It's a central part of the community and the new owners are going to learn really fast how important Handy Corner is to this town."

Tapping into that sense of community is one of the main reasons Circle K is headed to Grantsville, according to Circle K general manager Maralee Burns.

"Grantsville is definitely an emerging area and we try to look for communities that we can grow with as well," said Burns. "We look forward to our partnership with the community."

The new owners don't plan to change too much about the establishment, Burns said. A & W will continue to lease space inside the convenience store and the business will continue to run as usual with the same employees. Circle K does plan to remodel the inside of the building, adding new fountain drink equipment and a new milkshake machine.

"This is a close-knit community and the hometown ties are strong," Burns said. "We hope this will be a subtle change."

The transition may indeed seem subtle as the business won't close or shut down in between the switch.

Circle K is one several international corporate chains to move into fast-growing Grantsville in the past year. Subway, Domino's Pizza, Anytime Fitness, and Edward Jones have all set up shop in a Main Street strip mall, while a Maverik gas station is currently under construction at the east end of town.

"Other corporate businesses coming into town will be some competition for Circle K," said Anderson. "But Maverik certainly wasn't our motive for selling."