Lander keeps convenience store personal by Deanne Evely, Outpost staff Lucille Clark OCCUPATION: Lander Street Grocery owner/ employee RENO RESIDENT SINCE: 1945 Click here to meet the newcomer When you hear "convenience store" you may automatically think of the 7-Eleven or the AM/ PM on the corner. Yet, if you ask the same questions of the residents in the old southwest Reno, they may think of the Lander Street Grocery. The Lander Street Grocery is your typical neighborhood mom-and-pop store, carrying a variety of groceries. Maybe it doesn't offer as much as 7-Eleven or other convenience stores, but it does have the the lowest prices around. In fact, the main clientele, students from the surrounding grade schools -- Mt. Rose and Our Lady of Snows -- informed the owners that their candy bars were too cheap. Lucille Clark, 82, and her husband Andrew George Clark, now deceased, bought the Lander Street Grocery in 1970 from the Stewarts who opened it in 1933. The Clarks decided to buy the small store for a second income source when they heard Mrs. Stewart was to close it. A widow in her nineties, Mrs. Stewart gave Lucille the best business advice she has ever received. "She told me that if you get three requests for a product, stock it, and no questions asked," Clark said. In comparison to today's business, their profits were four times greater in the 1970s. Many of the bigger companies have stopped providing stock to the Lander Street Grocery because they receive little or no profit from having their product in the store. But as long as the candy companies continue their business, Clark will have busy afternoons as usual. Patrons from Mt. Rose School keep Mrs. Clark on her toes. Photo by Deanne Evely Every day, a small congregation develops outside the entrance of the store. The small sign on the door reads, "3 students in the store at a time." Amazingly, the young children abide by this rule and wait anxiously on the front step. If any roughhouse starts or the children become too rowdy and loud, they are scolded by Clark like a stern grandmother. Yet, overall, the students from the neighboring schools are respectful and listen to Clark. "As long as my health is good, I plan to keep the hours I have," Clark said. "It gives me something to do during the day." The Lander Street Grocery is located at 1019 Lander St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.   Grocery store managers veteran newcomer Retailers veteran newcomer Teachers veteran newcomer Ranchers veteran newcomer Journalists veteran newcomer Parents veteran newcomer Bookstore owners veteran newcomer Students veteran newcomer Back to main story    Posted Dec. 16, 1999 Copyright 1999, Nevada Outpost TOP Outpost | Metro | Lifestyle | Travel | Dining | Outdoors | Sports Archives | Specials | Links | About us | Mail us