Last year, the Flagstaff Butler Chevron at Interstate 40 was purchased by Mark and Beverly Wagner. Today, the store is much more than an everyday convenience store. They feature a Wall of Wine (the WOW factor) with hundreds of unique bottles. The Wagners also create a Craft Beer build your own section with more than 200 different beer options, for customers who like variety. There are also many hard liquor choices including numerous high end beverage choices. Flagstaff Business News caught up with the Wagners to learn more about their business philosophies.
FBN: Why did you decide to open this type of a business?
Beverly Wagner: We both have an extensive background in retail and have worked together before. We have always enjoyed talking to and meeting people from all different walks of life (places, too).
FBN: What is your business philosophy?
Mark Wagner: Customer service in any business must be a top priority. It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, the customer must take center stage and that is our goal. Our employees are an extension of us and should be treated fairly, with respect and appreciation. This helps create the positive environment that is reflected to our customers.
FBN: How are you meeting the needs of local customers and tourists?
Beverly Wagner: We offer a wide range of everyday convenience store items. We also have a “Wall of Wine” that features over 500 domestic and imported wines, all competitively priced with the local supermarkets. We have a “Custom Built Six Pack” program that allows customers to build their own six pack of craft and import beer for $9.99. There are currently more than 300 different beers to choose from, soon to be expanded to 500! We run specials in many of the categories that we sell (beer, wine, liquor, water, soda pop, fountain drinks, etc…) Our advertising is centered around “No Coupons, No Club Card, No Hassle – Why wait in line at a supermarket?” Our goal is to provide fast, friendly customer service that gets you in and out of the store quickly, making us an alternative stop to a grocery store.
We work to meet the needs of tourists by providing a variety of merchandise in the store, and answering questions about the area.
FBN: How do you see your business evolving in 5 years?
Mark Wagner: While the price of gas will certainly influence the amount of freeway traffic that comes into our store (we’re located at Butler & I-40), we believe that the local customer is our year – around lifeline. By merchandising to their needs in the store, we don’t have to rely on “cheap gas” to drive our business. In a world where time is a commodity, the convenience store can play an intergral part in daily life by obtaining a wide range of goods is a fast manner. We have a larger than normal size store (3600 square feet) and can offer a lot of different items versus a smaller convenience store.
Mark and Beverly Wagner
Owners
Flagstaff Butler Chevron
2295 E Butler
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
