Heard a rumor that they closed down & now they won't answer the phone...WUWT??...Tell me that it ain't So

I was going to give the heads up,,,but after my report on 21 mil going to canaan fell on def ears I figured I was waistin' my time;)...they closed down over night on Aug 7 and the bank is now in possession....the bank is going to put it up for auction on sept 9 down at the courthouse....owners bought it for 1.2 mil and then refinanced for about 1.4...the bank is going to have a minimum for auction but no one knows what it is...I doubt they will get there minimum if it is anything close to what they have in it and I have heard rumors that they would try to run it themselves if no one buys, but who knows.....nail pounding is kinda slow up here so I was thinking about going up to wallmart and filling a cooler with soda and snacks, maybe even pick up a couple 5 gal containers of gas and setting up shop in the parking lot because you can sit in that parking lot right now and about 5 cars will pull up every 15 minuties...

Thanks for the feedback Tucker....I'm hoping somebody gets it up & running by Ski season.So many of us Rely on the Store for so many things...Get yourself some Rattlesnake Eggs Tucker & you'll be in buis!!

...yeah my retirement plan is suffering...I haven't been able to buy a lottery ticket in weeks...

On the other hand Trail Mix is doing very well with no other competition in the area. Is the store at Deerfield still open? Gotta go out of the valley for gas now.

You can always stop at Camden's Corner Market (which I've still yet to find the corner that it sits in???). That place is your one-stop-shop for about ANYthing you'd ever need.


Edit: Except Rattler eggs. Not sure that they have those. I think those are unique the the CV Store.

What about the Gas station/grocery mart between dryfork & Harman?...They were passing out huge Zuccinis for free last year.

That's the Camden Corner Mart. I'm guessing you're like me and missed the whole corner thing too?

Wow thats depressing news... their jerky was my favorite for years

...talked to a random guy at a random mtn bike race in St. Albans this past weekend. He said he had just gotten home from the Valley, he was there with a friend looking into buying CV stores, and that there were other buyers interested as well...true story.

The issue at hand with Canaan Valley stores is what the price tag is. Too much for the facility. If two cars are gassing up, you can't drive through. The store itself is not large. Think about the volume of business you would need to make the morgage and taxes, the4 latter of which is what put the previous owner in trouble. I don't know what the zoning would allow in that location either. WV has some quirky laws.

We lost Highland Prospects in Davis also. They packed up everything and left town on Saturday night without telling anyone.

Damn.

cmon jon, it was friday night, but what diff does it make! I guess they are trying to escape a ridiculous lease they got into with the davis riverwalk carpet-bagger? Hope all goes well..Ben is a good guy

More importantly Mtn Top Clinic has to move....so where is doc rader gonna go?

...just heard some second hand gossip...the auction was today, well sort of...there were lots of folks there, I hear, but not a single bid...the price started at 850K or 880K or something like that...it's not worth half that in my opinion...guess it will just sit there empty now, but I don't really know...Doc did try to make use of the vacancy a week or so ago--he duct taped one of those trashy white and red home made vinyl signs advertising some kind of timberline event on the fence in front of the store, he also put about 4 vinyl home made signs on some old particle board on the side of 32...

I'm really scratching my head trying to understand all this. CV Stores, with gas, basic (non-upscale) groceries and liquor/beer/wine fails, but Trail Mix, with more expensive, upscale groceries, no gas and only recently a full liquor license, is doing very well (apparently). On the other hand, multiple successive operators can't make a go of it in the Tucker's space, but just up the road, Big John's -- lower price point, not upscale, etc -- is packing them in. And yet at the same time, the really incredulous proposition of high quality fresh seafood in a barn in Dryfork has been working well for years now. HUH???? Is it location that makes the difference? Rent levels?

...some would say it is just poorly run business and that is part of it, but it's hard to run a business up here for many reasons really...there are definite slow times of the year when there are no tourist--mostly two months before winter and two months after winter...there is also an extremely unusual demographic as far as consumers go---on one hand we have a limited number of wealthy or middle class vacationers or second homeowners coming up seasonably and on the other hand there are poor locals...Tucker county is the poorest county in the state---the average household income here is 20K, yes household...it is hard to cater to both effectively and if you choose one the volume of sales is sometimes to low to operate, your damned if you do or you don't kind of thing...it's kinda of like if you owned a ski resort and were trying to sell 350K 1/3 acre slope side lots beside a resort that caters exclusively to extremely low end groups...

well i don't think people understand the economy so well. maybe they visit occasionally during peak times and think its so great. but they aren't here midweek in the spring or late fall when tumbleweeds are rolling down the road along with a handful of windfarm workers who may rent in the area. some try to capitalize and throw out big money or buy and try to resell for big money thinking the boom is about to happen. (davis riverwalk, tuscan ridge..which is forsale too!) I think that boom has been talked about for decades? The more recent things/people making it work have found a unique niche and run it well. (hellbenders, trailmix, msbc) They aren't breaking the bank, but they are surviving.
As far as CVS goes, it's way way over priced and the bank needs to cut their loss i guess...canaan ain't manhattan.

...that's for sure, we ain't even got a gas station...

This is sad to me. I have talked with Tucker about this before, after going to school over there in the very early 80s and then returning over the past few years, what struck me was not the change, but the lack of change. When I compare the area to say Deep Creek Lake, the change there is substantial--some good, some bad. I am not arguing to DCL CV, just saying a little investment may allow a little more wine and Brie to be sold at CVS instead of pepperoni rolls and Skoal. I sense the area is being left behind, slowly but surely. Perhaps the state investment will help. Other areas continue to grow, even in these lean times. As an example, Snow Time at Whitetail just dropped 4 Million into an 1800 foot beginner trail, which as far as I can see, the sole purpose of is to serve future real estate development. They see it. Imagine 4 million plowed into TL or CV.

There is something so beautiful & so "Special" about the valley..an experiment in evolution..

This discussion is depressing indeed. I'm a property owner both in and out of the valley. I didn't buy with the intent of making money or flipping. I love the area as it is. My ancestory is from WV back in the day when it was VA. My first visit to the valley was 35 years ago when there was very little development. I didn't return until the early 80s and things had begun to change. By the mid 90s we had what we have now minus the "Fish and Wildlife" element. It's a seasonal resort area and a poor mountain rual community which co-exists. It lacks industry, infastructure, and tax base. It has the only zoning, albeit ineffective zoning, around. The local economy does its best to survive, but it's a lot like farming, and there are very lean times during the year. The businesses that are doing well cater to very specific groups. They are also run like businesses. The ones that fail either are poorly run or do not meet a need of either group which share the valley. When I finally move there I'll have my steady retirement and benefits which means that I won't need to work for a minimum wage to eat and have a place to sleep.

The CV area is where time stands still. It's like going back in the day. There are the same people doing the same things thay always have and the rest of the world really doesn't affect them. That is what I aspire to be and do.

Comon Kwill..at least let us have a canaan valley stores up & running...where am I going to get my morning fix/BS rap with the locals at? ...They got "THE BOMB" burritos there..can't even find those at sheetz!..Emergency gloves/goggles ect..ect +++...The place has that woodsy mountainy type of ambience that we love as we are knocking the snow off our boots...the place won't be the same without em..

Good point, Andy.... won't be the same. That's a good thing cuz everytime I walked out of that place I felt as though I was robbed. Everything was over priced, even for a resort area. You paid for convenience and the owner's gambling habit.

..super overpriced except for 1 item...I guess I can give it up now since it is closed...and I haven't even let it go till now...22 oz magic hat #9 $ 1.75 at cvs...dam good deal...I didn't tell a soul because I thought Buck would get the word and up the anty like the rest of the beer...small town pleasures I guess...

you mean one could buy a hole case for forty bucks??? cold?

I think they made a mistake with that cafe they tried to open. Bunch of new equipment, never saw a customer there, did they ever get around to preparing any food?

Besides brew, groceries and fuel, i figure they won't be getting a liquor license, what else could they provide that would fill a need?

$1,200,000 whew thats some trubbled assets.

The bank has about $1,400,000 in that place, not 1.2.
Think opening that cafe was a "mistake"? Well, let's review:

Had his privately owned mini-golf at Deerfield, and it closed.

Had his privately owned store at Deerfield, and it closed.

Had his privately owned GiGi's Pizza shop at Deerfield and it closed.

Opened his privately owned Conference Center at Deerfield, and it closed.

Opened his privately owned bar at Deerfield Restaurant, and it closed.

Had his privately owned Deerfield Restaurant, and it closed.

Had his privately owned rental business at Deerfield, and it closed.

Had his privately owned real estate business at Deerfield, and it closed.

Bank FORECLOSED on his privately owned restaurant, office, and mini-golf properties at Deerfield and sold them at auction.

Had another of his privately owned real estate businesses, and it closed.

Had to sell his hundred plus acre farm and home with pool on a mountaintop near Elkins.

Opened his cafe at Canaan Valley Stores, and it closed.

The bank foreclosed Canaan Valley Stores, and listed it for auction.


...but no, I hadn't heard he had a gambling problem....

...Yeah, but wasn't it nice to walk into CVS and get a little second hand smoke at the counter when paying for your expensive beer and gas...it always cracked me up when I walked in there and the owner was working the register and smokin' cigs...I am not sure how he got away with that, but I never saw him without a cig when he was working the register..

Expensive is relative. There is a new store at the stop sign just before you get to Timberline. I don't know its name. Anyhow I went in there for a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale and the girl at the register said $13. I said that must be wrong, but she replied it was not; it cost them that much more to have it so close to the slopes. I stupidly paid it, but also resolved never to buy anything there again. On my return home Total wine in Fairfax had it for $7.49.

Trail Mix is not exactly a bargain outlet. I try to stop by and purchase something to support Glenda's business, but I agree that their beer AND wine costs are over the edge. I guess we are paying for the convenience. I generally import my libation due to the cost of the local scalpers.
On another note, with all the eateries going out of bizz, will there be enough restaurants in the valley this season or should we plan on going to Davis/Thomas often? Maybe I'll open up a chili establishment at t-line with my special recipe.

I would have considered $10 to be reasonable for the convenience, but not $13.

Let me know, any time I visit the Valley I'll be sure to stop by for a couple bowls and a few cold ones!!

...a few bowls and some beers......now you're talkin' like poor local...

Doc will deep six ya. Competition, ya know?

A few years from now, Doc David will buy up all of the valley. He'll get rich treating folks like me, Jimmy, K-Will, and eventually, Tucker.

Uh, if u do a couple of bowls, u don't need the beer

Well...U don't exactly NEED the beer....But...

Exactly

If you want to support a local establishment, Mountain State Brewing Company is having their Anniversary celebrations.

The DCL location is this Saturday, September 18, 2010 and the Thomas location is October 2, 2010.

$1 drafts all afternoon/night long. The DCL location has great flat breads pizzas.

After skiing all day, I went to their St. Patrick's day bash at their DCL location. The place was overflowing with people, had great time.

http://www.mountainstatebrewing.com/

Just learned that Canaan Valley Stores has been bought by a very financially-stable group, and is slated to re-open sometime in December.

Supposed to be essentially the same set-up with gas and a convenience store, plus Subway for eats.

Commercial fast food in the Valley. OH NO!!


By convention, I'm assuming that because it is located in Canaan Valley it will fast food served at an "unhurried" pace.

I'm Loving this news but is there really going to be a subway sub shop with the Stores or just a section selling Subs?...I didn't think a "Subway" would be allowed in the valley..

What did they pay for the joint? Anything is too much in my opinion.

The business model for this group is that the Subway is just a section "embedded" within the convenience store.

Story goes (unconfirmed) that they paid in the $600's for the operation.

By the way, the Canaan Valley Zoning Ordinance does not prohibit chain businesses. It allows "Restaurant, without drive-through or drive-in service" by Right; it allows "Restaurant, with drive-through or drive-in service" by Special Exception. It further allows "Retail Store, (may include a deli and a convenience store with gasoline sales" by Right.

Ummm. I have to edit my own statement. I just visited one of their other stores, and it had an affiliated "chain" operation that certainly was not discreetly "embedded" within the store! And it wasn't Subway, either. I guess we'll see.

Looks like the Parsons Advocate this week confirms the new purchaser.

All I get is the 1-paragraph version of the paper (too cheap to pay the on-line subscription for the full write-up)....can anybody confirm additional details from the full version of the paper?

says its supposed to open sometime early winter and employ 30 full and part time people.... bwahahah...yeah right. It also says there will be a subway inside.

I had a friend of mine look at CVS back before the last owner bought it, and after inspection with her father. He said "you would have a better chance at setting up a taco stand on the north pole than buying this place". Of course it was 1.2 then and every business is realtive to it's rent. Was also told by a friend that they had to put four fuel pumps on their car that they left strictly here in the valley, but that stopped when they stopped getting gas there.

I had the same experience - we went through 3 fuel pumps in short order a few years back. Funny thing was our car would not start the morning after a trip home from Canaan. Finally figured out what was happening and just stopped buying gas there - about 3 years ago. 50K miles and no new fuel pumps since then. Unless they dig out those old tanks and replace them I doubt I'll buy gas from the new owner either.

Tom

..they have been doing some work on the pumps and tanks this past week...I have gotten my fuel almost exclusively at Canaan Valley Stores over the last 10 years with 2 different vehicles and have never replaced a fuel pump or had any problems related to fuel...

You use the "locals only" pump, Tucker. Those of us who don't face the problems. Easy way to avoid problems, fill up before and after the valley.

..yeah, you pull right up to the local's lane, and they pump your fuel and give you a quart of shine on every fill up...I assume the same policy will continue under new ownership...

speaking of local lanes, do you know if they will re-name the place? Kinda curious if a name change would improve the image from the past.

Would someone on the ground in Canaan Valley mind reporting whether the new place is open yet? Is it still named Canaan Valley Stores? Got Gas? Got Beer? Got Subway?
Thx in advance.
'snow.

not open yet - place is still dark.