Customers Enjoy the Variety – and Surprises – at Wakarusa Shop
Writer / Angela Cornell
Photography Provided
There are many reasons to start a business. Some cant stand the thought of being bored after retiring. Others see a need and want to fill it. For Wyman Hochstetler, the owner of Madison Country Store, it was a combination of both.
First of all, it was a retirement project for an older relative.
My wifes aunt was semi-retired, he says. She wanted something to do. This was always my wifes dream, and I shared it too. Its always been our dream to have a store, so this was the bump we needed – when her aunt moved to us.
It all started in Hochstetlers basement.
We actually started with the warehousing in the basement in our house, he says. There was a small retail area.
Within two years of their grand opening in 2012, they needed something larger, so the Hochstetlers had a portion of their property rezoned for commercial use and built a storefront.
Since then, the business has only grown. At present, they draw customers from a radius of 40 to 50 miles.
We have regular customers from Osceola, South Bend, Mishawaka, Milford and Warsaw, Hochstetler says. We see people from further away than that. Theres a lady from Valparaiso that comes here once a month.
Of course, Hochstetlers aunt still works at the store.
Shes past her 80th birthday now and shes out here every day, he says. It just gives her something to do.
It wasnt just his aunts needs that Hochstetler sought to meet. Since the store is a discount grocery, he is able to provide products for neighbors, friends and strangers.
Our number-one goal is to have a discount store thats very clean, and at competitive prices, he says.
One of the draws for Madison Country Stores customers is that they never quite know what they will find. Inventory changes daily, and everything in the store is typically priced at least half-off from regular store prices.
Its like Happy Christmas when they come here, because inventory changes so much, says Hochstetler with a chuckle.
Customers know they will be able to find a wide variety of items, even if they never quite know what theyll find. Perhaps there will be king-sized candy bars for 10 cents, two-liter bottles of juice for $1.50, or $3.50 bottles of shampoo that would cost $7 at any other store. They also sell a wide variety of other products including pet food, cereal, office products and much more.
Hochstetler works through a broker who schedules trucks from across the country to drop off products at Madison Country Store. This means that although Hochstetler can choose which businesses he can buy a truckload from, he never knows for sure what will roll off the trucks when they arrive.
It just depends, he says. Most trucks have a lot of something, and then the next truck has a lot of something else. It changes, and that keeps it interesting because it keeps inventory flowing.
Its not all dented, slightly damaged, or nearly out-of-date items, however. They also sell meats and cheeses produced in Walnut Creek, Ohio, as well as Crystal Spring Creamery products.
Hochstetlers favorite part of the business is being able to interact with the customers.
Just being able to see how happy they are to find something at the prices that we have – thats awesome, he says.
Customer service is vital for any small business owner, and Hochstetler is no exception.
The customers are our priority, he says. Well do whatever we can to make the customers happy.
The business wouldnt be possible without Hochstetlers wife and partner, Edna, and their employees, especially with the amount of work that goes into keeping this discount store clean and shipshape.
The product doesnt always come in clean, he says. As far as the cleaning process goes, its looking at each product and cleaning it – making sure its a product we want in our store before we take it out in the retail area.
Madison Country Store is located at 67506 Beech Road in Wakarusa. They accept cash and check only as payment. Call 574-633-4143 for more info.
