OPERATION:

 

           Countryside Marts operates four Mobil-branded convenience stores in three counties of New York State: one in Albany county, one in Schenectady county, and two in Schoharie county. 

 

The location addresses are:

 

  • Mart #3, 332 Main Street, Schoharie, NY
  • Mart #4, 3578 Highway Route 20, Sloansville, NY
  • Mart #5, 6030 Duanesburg Road (Route 7 at I-88), Duanesburg, NY
  • Mart #6, 788 Helderberg Trail, East Berne, NY

 

HISTORY:

 

From 1923 until his retirement in 1970, a Duanesburg, NY native, Mr. Gideon Wilber, ran a Texaco gasoline filling station, garage and store, known as Wilber's Garage and Store, at the intersection of Routes 7 and 20 in Duanesburg.  The business was sold in 1970 to Enders and Cooper, Inc., a Mobil distributor headquartered in Central Bridge, NY.

In 1970, the small store of approximately 1200 square feet was leased to Mrs. Esther Vincent, a former employee of Mr. Wilber.  The garage and gasoline business was leased to another operator.  In 1971, the garage business was abandoned, the pumps were converted to self-serve under the Mobil flag, and Mrs. Vincent took over the entire operation.

On January 1, 1974, Mrs. Vincent became Duanesburg Town Clerk, and her son, David Vincent, assumed the store operation.  On July 1, 1974 the business was sold to Mr. Vincent, who operated it as a sole proprietorship under the name Duanesburg General Store.  The business grew, more locations were established, and in 1989 the business was incorporated under its current name.

 

 

PROFILE OF DAVID VINCENT AND COUNTRYSIDE MARTS INC.

 

            In 1974 when David Vincent stepped in to help his mother's modest three-year-old retail business, he had no idea that he was embarking upon an enterprise that would command his attention into the next century.  On January 1, 1974, at age 24, Vincent assumed control of a leased 2000 square foot country store at the corner of Routes 7 & 20 in Duanesburg, NY.  Apart from its self-service gasoline pumps (some of the first in the region), the store was a relic of the 1940's, illuminated by bare incandescent light bulbs and conducting business on a bare concrete floor.  Vincent's business plan?  Work seven days a week and pay the bills.

            By July of 1974, with little more than an inkling of greater opportunities ahead, Vincent purchased the business's meager assets from his mother.  Hard work and long hours began to yield immediate results.  Fixture-by-fixture the store was gradually modernized.  Inventory was expanded to meet increasing demands.  Sales grew steadily.  With five employees, a strong community base and a strong customer focus, a modern "convenience store" was born, the first of its type in the town of Duanesburg.

            Two years later a second store was opened in Cobleskill, NY, the first convenience store in that town as well.  As the years passed the business grew larger and stronger.  In 1978 both original sites were purchased.  A third site was added in 1986 and another in 1988.  In 1989 the business was incorporated and its administrative operation fully computerized.  In 1995 a brand new Interstate location was constructed along I-88 in Duanesburg, which opened to immediate success.  1998 witnessed the relocation of a store in Sloansville, NY to a site across the street resulting in a near doubling of sales.  In 2000 store number 6 was opened in East Berne, NY, also becoming an immediate success.  In 2005 a Ryko Soft Gloss car wash was completed and opened at the I-88 site in Duanesburg.

            Mr. Vincent holds a degree in Geology from the University of Rochester.  His previous educational and work experience as a computer programmer was an important element in the computerization of the company's administrative procedures.  The hiring of his brother Tom Vincent in 1979 as Director of Operations, who brought with him similar skills, was instrumental in positioning the company to grow technologically.  In addition to his various administrative duties, Tom Vincent oversees the company's computer network and data processing as well as hardware and software applications at each of the four retail sites.

           Countryside Marts is a community-based, family-run, customer-driven retail company.  In 2001 the US Small Business Administration recognized Countryside Marts Inc. with a Small Business Excellence Award.  Later in the same year, David Vincent was honored as the Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year.