When a man gets to be 85, he starts to think about retirement.
Wray Henderson did just that and decided last Saturday would be his last day to work at Cozy Corners, the convenience store/deli he and his wife, Pearl, have owned and operated since 1974.
Wray and Pearl, 79, planned to close the store last Saturday, but their daughter, Susan McAndrew, and a granddaughter, Penny Klieg, stepped up to the plate and agreed to run the business for a few more weeks.
“I quit last Saturday night,” says Wray. “They are doing it now.”
The store, located on the northeast corner of routes 7 and 322 in Williamsfield Township, has been for sale for several years. Pearl says they’ve had interested buyers, but all of them have been short on cash. Tired of the long hours involved in running a mom-and-pop business, Wray and Pearl decided it was time to close it down, buyer or no buyer.
During the peak of their business, the Hendersons kept their store open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. They’ve cut back to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“You have to put your time in,” Wray says. “You don’t have to work hard, but you have to be here and put in the time.”
Wray came into the business from a grocery-store background.
“I was working at the A&P; at the time,” he says. “The lady had it up for sale quite a few years and we decided to buy it. The price was right.”
Pearl says they decided to retain the Cozy Corner name. The business consisted of a little restaurant, gas station and cabin rentals. Although two cabins were still standing when they purchased the corner, the couple decided to focus on gasoline, groceries and hamburgers.
Cozy Corners operated year-around, but the summer months were always the best. Tourists heading to the state parks were always in need of gasoline for their cars and boats, beverages and ice for their coolers and sandwiches for their bellies.
“If you wanted it, I usually had it,” says Wray, who took pride in stocking those items campers, sportsmen and locals needed. “It’s just an old general country store.”
The store part of their business got a major boost in 1982, when Wray and Pearl built onto the original structure. The addition allowed them to expand the grocery and and offer a deli. Beer, soft drinks, hot coffee, tobacco products, the Ohio Lottery and everyday essentials round out the stock.
Ten years later, Wray and Pearl faced a huge decision – the Environmental Protection Agency was forcing gas stations to remove leaking underground tanks and replace them with fiberglass ones. The Hendersons decided to chop gas sales from their business rather than invest a minimum of $150,000.
Further, Wray was already eight years into retirement, or at least his first attempt to retire.
Despite the long hours and challenges, both Wray and Pearl say the little business treated them well.
“It’s been a good living,” Pearl says.
Wray says he’s enjoyed the first five days of his second effort at retirement.
“I’ve been snoozing,” he says.
Wray and Pearl know the arrangement with their daughter is just a temporary fix; she’s uninterested in a long-term commitment. They hope a buyer will come along in the interim. Meanwhile, Wray has plans.
“I intend to go South just as soon as I get my things in line,” he says.
Will he look for another store to run in South Carolina?
“No,” he says. “I’m too young for that.”
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