When Rich and Jenn Mazurek moved to Union, Maine, four years ago, Four Corner Variety became their go-to neighborhood store. “We live about a mile from the store and went by it every day on our way to work,” Rich said. “So we were familiar with the store and location for several years before we took over in 2022.”
Both Mazureks kept their day jobs—Rich works as a car sales manager and Jenn as a retail banker—but they take shifts whenever possible. “We’re the third owners, and the original owners lived in Union as well. When they opened the business in 1990, they wanted the store to be the hub of the town,” Rich said. “The community views it as their store, and we’re trying to build off of that.”
Shopper Insight
Because the Mazureks had been regular customers before becoming the owners, they had a good idea of what merchandise sold well and what didn’t. “Our philosophy is really simple—keep the store super clean and full of merchandise all the time,” Rich said.
The store packs a lot of products into its 2,000 square feet. “I like to say it’s a nook-and-cranny store because we fill every little square inch to the maximum in order to best serve our customers,” Rich said.
To ensure a good selection of products, they partnered with Associated Grocers of New England, a wholesale grocery distributor, which helped them stock on-trend items and unusual snacks. “The uniqueness of our store is really that we listen to our customers and bring in what they want,” Jenn said.
Continue reading about Four Corner Variety in the October issue of NACS Magazine.