MINNETONKA, Minn.—For Glenn and Rose Ann Seutter, running a convenience store in Minnetonka wasn’t quite what they’d had in mind, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Glenn has his eye on medical school. They would raise their kids—which eventually numbered three—in Florida. But life has a funny way of derailing the best-laid plans.

For the Seutters, who retired in January at 75, they said they’ve had no regrets about spending nearly half a century running a convenience store in their home state of Minnesota.

"For me, the business was never a job," said Glenn. "It was something I enjoyed going to every single day. It wasn't work, it was fun."

The couple turned their store into a must-visit community gathering spot. In 1974, they purchased the store—originally a food market with a butcher shop—and spruced it up before turning it into a convenience store. Through the years, the couple added to the property to expand the business, which came to include gas pumps and a car wash. The convenience store soon had a deli and a catering business.

Their children grew up working in the store. "[Our parents] never complained. Hard as they worked and as frustrating as it was to them … their attitude was just so positive,” said Sean, their oldest child.

Employees said the Seutters treated them like family. "They empathize with them and they take care of them. They care about your personal life and support everything that you do,” said Tasha Hall, who started out as a cashier and advanced to general manager.

On their last week at the store, the Seutters showed up with the same work ethic that had powered them through the years. "We went out with a bang," Glenn said. "We really enjoyed the business."

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