GORE BAY—The transfer of ownership of Betty’s Convenience Store in Gore Bay marks the end of an era. Betty and Dave Little have owned the business for the past 34 years and have now sold the business to Tim and Deanna Hardy.
“We bought the store 34 years ago, on September 1, 1988,” Ms. Little told The Expositor. “At that time, we had a clothing and lottery store. Then on June 19, 1993, we converted the store to a convenience store with groceries.” She pointed out, “with so many seniors around they needed a convenient place in town to get some of their groceries and supplies.” The business hours at the time were from 8 am to 10 pm in the evening, “but five years ago we began to close at 9 pm at night, and with COVID-19 at 7 pm.”
“We have had a lot of employees, good people over the years—good people” said Ms. Little. “Katherine (Thibault) started with me in 1998.”
“We are going to miss everyone,” said Ms. Little, who quipped, “we had people that who came in to be harassed and we knew who not to bug.”
“Dave and I want to thank all our patrons over the years for all their support, for all the laughs and the cries. We are going to miss them,” stated Ms. Little.
Deanna Hardy said, “We took over (ownership) as of Monday, August 15. Definitely, the name of the store will be staying the same.”
“We are quite excited to be embarking on this new adventure,” said Ms. Hardy. “We are looking at some changes, nothing drastic, and it will be awhile before we make any (changes).”
“Betty and Dave have been amazing; they have been helping us all the way through the process,” Ms. Hardy added. “We have been very fortunate to have their help.”
