Weidner’s Corner has been part of the fabric of the Baltimore, Ohio, community since Oscar Weidner opened it in 1927. Oscar’s son, Tom, eventually took over the store, and when he retired in 2016, the doors closed, and the once-busy corner lay quiet.
Enter Jeff Watson, who knew the place well.
“My dad was a Union 76 jobber, and he hauled fuel there in the 60s,” he said, adding, “back in the day it was the place where all the farmers and contractors hung out. You could get a sandwich and drink for $1.50. Everyone knew the corner.”
Watson saw the potential. Like his father, he delivered fuel to gas stations. “I hauled gas, diesel and heating oil to three different counties all of my life. We owned a Pure Oil station in Millersport.” When people began to turn to natural gas to heat their homes, the heating oil business slowed down, and Watson decided to build a c-store. He opened his first store in 2001 and later bought Weidner’s Corner.
They do yoga everywhere, like at the beach. Why not in a convenience store?
The first thing he did was tear down the existing building and rebuild from the ground up. He wanted to stay true to the tradition of the corner, so he decided not to change the name. The new store opened in July 2019, and from the start, it was clear that it was not your father’s Weidner’s Corner.
Drive-Thru Store
Watson wanted to do something different. “In my mind you had to have gas or a drive-thru,” he said. “You need an extra convenience to get customers in. People don’t want to get out of their cars.”
Instead of a drive-thru window, he built a drive-thru store. “People can drive through the store, and an employee takes the order and retrieves the items. Customers drive up to the little office, make the payment, and they’re off.” They can pick up bread, dairy, beer, wine, snacks—everything found in conventional c-stores.
It’s a very comfortable way to shop. Watson laughs when he describes how customers come wearing pajamas. “Since school started, younger parents come, and they don’t have to get the kids out of the car seat.”
Shopping from inside of a car inside of a store will take customers a little time to get used to. “We’re just new. We have to change people’s habits. It’s getting better by the week.”
Crafty Idea
During the holidays, DIY decorations are popular, so owner Jeff Watson thought, is there a better place to learn how to embellish your home than in your corner c-store? “An instructor came in to demonstrate painting Halloween decorations to customers. We had 16 ladies come in,” said Watson, adding, “These special events get more people in, and hopefully, they’ll come back.”
Food for Bearish Appetites
With the store still relatively new to the community, the focus is on breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is big. The prime rib and egg sandwich is cooked-to-order prime rib with American cheese on an Italian roll. And the grilled bologna and cheese breakfast sandwich on a Kaiser roll is nostalgic for so many customers.
The bear statue pays tribute to Andy, a bear who lived on-site at Weidner's Corner for 30 years.
The lunch menu features the head-turning “Andy the Bear Burger,” a tribute to the former store’s resident bear. In 1948, Weidner’s Corner had a bear living on-site. “People would stop and feed him. Andy the bear was here for 30 years. He died in 1978. We also have a carving of him in the dining room,” explained Watson.
Beer and Yoga
Since Weidner’s Corner is a new store, Watson recognizes the importance of letting people know about specials, menu items and “what’s happening”—especially things that are outside the usual c-store box.
When people scroll through the store’s daily feed on Facebook, certain items just jump out. Beer & Yoga—"Introducing People to Yoga One Beer at a Time” will make you pause. Watson said, “They do yoga everywhere, like at the beach. Why not in a convenience store? It will be something different. People come in, do some yoga and have a beer afterward.”
C-store yoga is a new concept, and the first night brought in a respectable crowd. “We had nine people show up. Afterward they sat around, had a couple of beers and chitchatted. I think it will be better in winter. I was really happy with the turnout. We’ll do this once a month,” he said.
The local newspaper called the store “an institution in the area.” Watson is always coming up with ideas to make it a different kind of c-store, and there’s always something happening. Whether it’s live music, the Boos’s & Booze DIY String Art or beer and yoga, Weidner’s Corner is getting the kind of social media buzz that keeps folks wondering what’s next.