Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
garfield in convenience store main
Sonja Hall stands inside the store she opened in Garfield on May Day this year, in a former storage room of Mitz’s Cabinets.
The break came one February night at Grumpy’s in Garfield.
Sonja Hall was at the bar talking about her two-year effort to find a space to rent to start a convenience store.
Craig Mitzimberg overheard.
“I’ll rent you a space,” said the co-owner of Mitz’s Cabinets.
Later, a deal was made, and on May Day this spring, Hall opened the “IN-Convenience Store” in a former storage room.
The original inventory featured four kinds of pop and a box of variety candy bars.
Now it’s 36 sodas and an array of other items, from garbage bags to pet food to doughnuts.
“A lot of stuff people forget when shopping elsewhere,” said Hall.
In October, she added a concierge grocery service. For a fee of 10 percent before tax, Hall will take a grocery list and go to Colfax, Potlatch, Lewiston, Clarkston or Spokane to do shopping for local residents.
“I’m going to have to get cards made, I keep writing down my phone number for people,” she said.
The IN-convenience Store space is where the former Nook and Cranny used to be. That Garfield clothing, gifts and fabric store closed in the 1990s.
When Hall moved in – with a $300 loan from her parents – the budget was tight.
She had to get a partition wall framed in and drywall installed.
“I’m so grateful for the friends that did that for me for pizza and beer,” Hall said.
A 1999 graduate of Garfield/Palouse High School, she returned to town in 2013 after serving six years active duty, and two years in the Navy reserves as a sonar technician aboard ships.
Divorced, she has two young children who stay at the shop, which is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
“I think she’s doing a good job,” said Mitzimberg. “Enjoy having her. We have a store for the town, that’s the best part of it.”
There are no employees.
“I am the employee,” Hall said.
Aside from working at the store on Sundays and late on weeknights, she goes to buy inventory at area retailers WinCo, Costco, URM, Cash & Carry and other stores.
“It’s three times more expensive to go through traditional suppliers,” Hall said, citing order minimums as part of the issue.
Her prices are calculated.
“I try for not-astronomical,” she said.
After the original $300 went to sheet-rocking, drywall and first inventory, Hall was given some rugs and a 1934 General Electric refrigerator from her mother’s garage.
“It’s just a little bit cobbled together, but it’s just right,” said Hall of the store.
Another feature is free coffee.
“It’s really bad coffee, but it’s free,” said Hall. “It’s Navy coffee; it’s black, there’s cream and sugar if you want it.”
She makes the coffee in a 1950s MGB percolator formerly used at Leona’s, a five-and-dime run by Hall’s late grandmother, Leona Johnson, from 1963-71. She was located right across the street from where the In-convenience Store is today.
As Hall’s business grows, in its sixth month, more and more items appear on the shelves.
“You’d be surprised how fast toilet plungers go in a town without a store,” Hall said.
When she returned to town three years ago, the idea to open the shop arrived shortly after.
“About five minutes after I set foot back in town,” said Hall, of noticing the lack of a convenience store or grocery store in Garfield.
From there, she said she was turned down as a renter at six different locations in Garfield.
Now she has one.
“It seems like the town’s a bit busier,” said Mitzimberg.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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