“We’re Part of the Community” (Market Express — Part 1)

The family-owned, independent chain dominates in the retail hub of Southeast Utah.

Utah is sparsely populated, and the town of Price, population 9,000 or so, is in the southeast, one of the least crowded parts of the state. That leaves a lot of room for nature and the great outdoors, so it’s no surprise that Price finds itself in the middle of one of the most uniquely beautiful parts of the Beehive State.

If you do a little research on Price, Nine Mile Canyon usually comes up first. It’s a no-brainer: the petroglyphs that spread across the face of the Book Cliffs are imposing, and reflect the daily lives of the Fremont people who thrived in the region between 1 and 1300 AD.

The Canyon also happens to be part of what they call the Carbon Corridor, a name the given to the region about 600 years after the heyday of the Fremont tribes. That’s when Price became the focal point of Utah’s coal mining industry, and in the process, a hub for the entire area as transportation routes and commercial development spread out around the town, starting in the late 19^th century.

That era of Price’s history remains on display today, in the Bryner Pioneer Museum and other historical sites. While these give the town a unique personality, make no mistake: Price was born as a retail hub, and remains a thriving one to this day. SSCS customer Market Express understands this as much as anyone, and has capitalized on it.

Market Express has been doing business in Price for 35 years. In that time it has grown from one to three stores, all within the city limits. It’s really not an exaggeration to say that the operator dominates the convenience market in Price and its surrounding area. It’s an impressive feat for a family-owned, independent that competes against regional powerhouses like Maverik.

The growth and decades-long success of Market Express is even more remarkable when you realize that the two principals, brothers Angelo and Dino Kiahtipes, had no previous experience in the industry.

“When they were younger they tried a lot of different things to make it, including the family heritage of farming and raising sheep,” says Nick Kiahtipes, who manages the store on behalf of his father, Angelo, and his Uncle Dino. “When the opportunity to buy some property came up, they decided to demolish the pair of old buildings on the land and build a store from the ground up.”

It was a bold move, made partly out of necessity, but the brothers were locals who knew their community, an advantage for them out of the gate. “They figured they knew the people and the area as well as anyone, and they saw an opportunity that they thought was real,” says Nick.

Fairly confident that a neighborhood petroleum retailer[1] providing expanded merchandise and food options, in addition to the basics, could succeed, the brothers moved forward. Access to fuel was the icing on the cake, encouraging returning customers, many of whom already knew Angelo and Dino on a first-name basis.

“We’re part of the community,” states Nick, “We see our customers on the street and we’re on a first name basis with a lot of them. We know generations of customers.”

Of course, you have to give people a reason to come back, and Market Express, throughout its growth, has never stopped looking for better ways to serve its local following. This is reflected in its award-winning Foodservice offerings and Loyalty Rewards program, which have received coverage in the industry press. In addition, Market Express also involves itself in a number of local charities, binding the stores’ ties to Price even more securely.

Nurturing and expanding a loyal local following, however, is only part of the Market Express story. The original location sits in close proximity to Highway 6, a major thoroughfare that serves as an artery to some of the most picturesque landscapes in the U.S. “They call Price the ‘Gateway to Moab’,” explains Nick. “That guarantees we get a lot of visitors from out of town. They can see us from the highway.”

Moab is in the immediate proximity of Arches National Park, a magnet for visitors from all over the world for their striking rock formations:

So while the original store functions effectively as a kind of general store and gathering place for locals, it also capitalizes on the droves of people coming to and from the Arches. Accommodations for travelers include a dog park, an RV dump and water, free air and water, drive-through, and picnic seating. Long haul truckers also get some love: overnight semi parking is available.

As for Nick, he grew up in the business, but it wasn’t until the second, Chevron-banded store—also right on Highway 6, but down the road—started operating that he really got involved. “I was probably about four when it was built. It was a chance for my dad and uncle to put together a store using everything that they learned over the years of operating the first one,” he says. “it was at these stores that I learned to work, where I did so until I went away to college.”

The modern store features a Burger King franchise as well as a touchless carwash, and three over-sized car wash hand bays, unique to this Market Express site. If you need any more evidence that this is a c-store chain that absolutely dominates in its area, the third store, branded Phillips 66, is right across the street from the Sinclair.

“It gives people who prefer one fuel over the other some options,” Nick explains.

The construction of the second Market Express store is also notable in that it was when the brothers began to get serious about computerization, given the growing complexity of the enterprise they were running.

Market Express came to the attention of SSCS as a result of the relationships our sales reps build with POS providers and other regional c-store suppliers. Through them, our team began to hear about this great, established operator that was doing it without a back office system. To SSCS, it seemed like a great opportunity and a perfect fit for the Computerized Daily Book, which has, indeed, turned out to be the case. For the details, though, you’ll have to check out Part 2 of this profile in next week’s SSCS Blog. See you then.

[1] The original store is branded Sinclair, whose dinosaur goes perfectly with Price’s impressive Prehistory Museum at Utah State University, Eastern.