Family to open convenience store in St. David's

They are opening a convenience store at the former Esso station in St. David’s — on land their family has owned for more than 100 years.

Heather Roque, 48, said: “I always said that if the shop ever went up for sale I would buy it because the land has always belonged to my family and has been in my family for many years.

“I remember it as a grocery store and coming down here to see my Granny as a little girl.

“I didn’t want anybody else to have it.

“I wanted it to be a legacy for my children.”

Her daughter, Heidi Daniels-Roque, 31, said her grandmother told her that they had owned the land for more than 100 years.

Inherited

She added: “The deeds go back to the 1920s but family owned it before that.

“Granny and Uncle Edmund inherited it in 1986 when Nana died but Uncle Peter had owned part of it prior to that.”

During the time the family has owned the land, a variety of businesses have operated there, including a grocery store, a liquor store and a gas station.

Mrs. Daniels-Roque said her uncles Romeo ‘Mickey’ Pitcher and Peter Pitcher ran the liquor store and gas station before they bought the store last summer.

The shop became a liquor store about 25 years ago and the gas pumps were added in 1994. Mrs. Daniels-Roque said: “We have big visions for the store.

“We’re going to have a convenience store again.

“We have a liquor licence and we hope to get the fuel pumps again but we are still negotiating with Esso.

“We hope to open a little kitchen. Initially it will be warmed food until we can get our kitchen approval, then we hope to do fresh hot food.

“We hope to do pasta, Chinese and Indian food. We are going to have basic items until we can figure out what the St. David’s community would like.

“We have an application in to Marine and Ports for a marina in front of the dock, which would fit six boats.

“In the future we would like a fine dining restaurant overlooking the bay.

“In St. David’s the only places we have to go to eat is the Black Horse, Pizza House and Eliana’s.”

Much of the fare available in St. David’s is fried food but the family is aiming to offer other options.

Mrs. Daniels-Roque said: “We are going to have some fried food but we are also trying to be different and offer food you can’t get in St. David’s, things you would have to go to St. George’s or Hamilton for.”

The family negotiated the sale of the store in June.

It will be family-run but as the business expands and the kitchen and gas station open, they will probably hire up to three workers to help run the business.

Mrs. Daniels-Roque said: “It’s coming together — not as quickly as we would have liked but it’s getting there.

Remodelling

“We’ve owned the property since June but by doing all the work ourselves it has taken longer to get ready to open.”

David Roque, 52  — husband to Mrs. Roque and father to Mrs. Daniels-Roque — has done the bulk of the remodelling work for the store.

Mrs. Roque said: “He’s a very good handyman. Plumbing, electrical… he can do it all.

“We had quotes from people to come in and do the work so we saved because of that.”

The family wanted to wait until the gas pumps were working before opening but have decided to go ahead while they continue to negotiate with Esso.

They said the opening has been long awaited by the residents of St. David’s, who are especially looking forward to having a local gas station once again. 

The store will open on Saturday, March 5 at 8am.