HARTINGTON, Neb. — On the northern edge of Hartington stands a community landmark — Stop N Go — a locally owned convenience store.
The building and business has stood on the east side of the highway for as long as most of the residents remember. The current owners, Bob and Laureen Thoene of rural Hartington, have owned it since 2004.
“We have to do something,” Bob Thoene said with a laugh as he breaded chicken for the shop’s Tuesday and Thursday’s broasted chicken special for the lunch and dinner meals.
As for the community, area residents are thankful for the Stop N Go owners. If times are tough, if someone has a fire, if someone is injured, the Stop N Go owners are known for dropping off a bucket of chicken and being supportive as well of those in need. They are good neighbors and return the favor — it’s the small-town way.
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“We farm and milked dairy cows for a while, and then I raised goats,” Bob said. “This place came up for sale and thought we would try something different.”
While farming, the couple raised six children: One daughter who recently received the national Milken Educator award, two sons who own a local agronomy business, one son who works for a seed company, one son who is an electrician and one son who maintains a web page for a Sioux City television station. The addition of eight grandchildren continue to fill their busy lives.
The couple are looking to have more free time in the future as they plan to sell Stop N' Go.
The couple run the popular stopping spot in the Cedar County seat with the help of eight employees every day of the week, pumping fuel, offering a variety of candy and munchies, water, soft drinks, power drinks and daily specials from Laureen’s kitchen. Beer is also for sale, as well as bait and tackle, and ammunition may be purchased there, too. Everyone pitches in with stocking shelves while serving the daily in and out of customers.
“My favorite thing about our business is the people,” Laureen said. “I like the people, seeing everyone, visiting with everyone.”
The shiny tabletops in the booths, which are worn smooth from use, along the side give proof repeat customers stop frequently for coffee and snacks as well as the long list of kitchen specials. Every day, Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the grill is hot and ready to serve and the list is long.
There are several kinds of hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, barbecue ribs, fish, meat loaf, shrimp, cod sticks, chicken strips and, of course, all the sides, french fries, cheese balls, waffle fries and mushrooms.
The kitchen is closed on Sunday, although breakfast sandwiches are available every day, including Sunday. The quick stop store opens every day at 5:30 a.m. and stays open until 11 p.m. Bob and Laureen are there every day and, even though they try to take Sundays off, they do pop in to make sure the shop is operating smoothly.
Operating smoothly is a challenge with the economy and supply chain issues as they are today.
“We never know what’s going to come, or what isn’t,” Laureen said. “We have been told we will continue to get chicken.”
The store continues to be able to order whole chickens, but many times it cannot order legs or thighs, which can be ordered separately. Snack items like potato chips are up in price as well as candy bars, Laureen said. She estimates expenses on their end have increased a minimum of 25% with no end in sight.
Laureen admits she loves the business, and her favorite thing to do is visit with the customers. They are like family. After almost 20 years in business, the couple are thankful for the support of the community and the continued customer business.
And it has worked both ways, as many residents said they appreciate the times they had helped others in the community.