Ridgewood General Store holds grand opening

Ed and Susan Myers were among the first customers at the grand opening of the Ridgewood General Store on Oct. 15. The store is located on Main Street in West Lafayette and is open Monday – Saturday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jen Jones | Beacon

WEST LAFAYETTE – Smiling, friendly employees greeted customers as Ridgewood General Store held its grand opening on Monday, Oct. 15.

“It’s been busy all morning,” said store manager, Robbin Sees. “We’ll be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. We are closed on Sunday, now, but plan to be open on Sundays down the road, once we get established.”

Ed and Susan Myers, from West Lafayette, were among the customers checking out the new store. “We’ve been talking to Jay (Davis) and wanted to see the new store. There is lots of variety here,” said Ed.

The store features deli meats and cheeses, Amish baked goods, jams, jellies and snacks. They also serve Hershey’s ice cream, cappuccino, latte, and macchiato tea.  Owner Jay Davis said he spent over a year researching and watching videos on their espresso machine so the quality will be the same cup after cup. Tractor Soda is also available.

“We stumbled across Tractor Soda by accident. The company considers themselves “Farm to Fountain” and is completely natural. They offer several unique flavors of soda and we are really pleased with the product,” said Davis.

Opening their own business has always been in the back of his and his wife, Sue’s, mind. The Ridgewood General Store has taken about two years to become a reality and they are both excited about it. “I’ve never forgotten my agricultural roots – I grew up on a dairy farm – and I came to Coshocton to teach ag. I fell in love with the area. It’s a great place to live and raise kids. We wanted to help put something else on Main Street in West Lafayette,” said Jay.

The store employs about 20 full and part time people. He has several high school kids hired and works around their after school activities. “Helping kids is one of my top priorities and I know having money in their pockets is one of the kids’ priorities. After school activities are so important – I want to work around them as much as possible,” said Jay.

“When I think about people coming into the store, I want them to have an experience. Yes, they can get farm fresh eggs, or a snack, or a coffee, but I want them to have an experience. We had a group of folks this morning that sat around one of our tables, chit chatting and watching TV. That’s what I want people to remember.”

The store serves breakfast from 6 to 10 a.m. and “Not Breakfast” from 10 a.m. “until the cows come home.” Tables are available so customers can enjoy their food and drinks right away. Ridgewood High School T-shirts are also sold at the store.

Category: Business