Meet Pam Sandy | Owner Meauwataka General Store

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pam Sandy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pam, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
There are several habits that we feel have helped contribute to the store’s success. First, we feel that teamwork and cooperation have greatly helped with the store’s transformation. Our family purchased the store a year ago and promptly began taking on tasks that were challenging due to the location of the business, economic climate, and general cost of upgrading the facility and all the aging equipment. My daughter Cort and my (Pam)’s combined food, hospitality, business management, and customer service industry experience were immediately called into play. We began looking at options that would benefit our new community and our customers such as offering made from scratch fresh hot food to go, sourcing and offering high quality locally produced products, and greatly expanding the rest of our inventory. As a family we discussed what strengths and talents we could bring individually to the business. We went into this with the mindset that we need to rely on and respect each other as we all worked together towards a common goal. The second habit we rely on is the fact that hard work usually pays off. When we purchased the store a year ago we knew there were things that needed immediate attention (equipment, facility upgrades, process improvements). Being in the middle of the forest we also hoped to expand on the take out food option as there were no other close options for people who lived or worked in this area. Having owned a business prior to purchasing the store we knew there would be a lot of hard work necessary right away in order to implement the changes we envisioned. There have been countless extra hours of work, love, and devotion to our customers that have helped fuel the drive to transform the store into a place that was convenient for people to stop in to on their way home or as they passed through the area. Offering high quality and delicious food was a lot of work, but it has paid off in attracting new customers and pleasing current customers. We worked hard to upgrade the exterior of the store too, adding new signage, a picnic area, moving the dumpster away from the front of the store to the back, removing old dilapidated storage bins, and just all around making it a more visually pleasing location. We did extensive work on the interior as well. All these changes occurred in about a year time frame, surpassing the five year plan we had envisioned when we purchased the store.
We feel the next habit that contributed to our success is listening with empathy. We asked our customers what they felt would be helpful to carry in the store to make it more convenient for them to stop in and shop. It didn’t end there though, our new community embraced us as new owners of the store and made us feel very welcome. We strive to make the store a friendly caring place so we do our best to listen to our customers and their families when they come in. We also do our best to make our customer’s days better when they stop in by listening to how their day has gone, or about special things going on in their lives. We continued to offer a service for another business a town away as it benefits our customers, and this business. We do not receive any compensation for this, instead it is a continuation of a community service. Additionally we do our best to get to know the various tradespeople in the area, not only to benefit the store when we need a service performed or work done, but to help our customers find help when they are working on projects. Many of the referrals have come from chatting with our customers who have done work on their homes and businesses. As the contractors stop in to grab a quick pop or bite to eat to go we encourage them to leave their business cards. This has helped our customers as well as the trades people in the area.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have worked in the food industry, retail industry, and health care industry. The common denominator in all industries is providing exceptional customer service and caring for people. I went back to college later in life while working a full-time job and part time job. None of it was easy but it was really rewarding. For me, maintaining the mind set to put forth the effort to do the very best I can has allowed me to accomplish goals as well as feel good about those accomplishments. There have been a lot of sacrifices to get where we are today, but it also feels like it was a part of God’s plan for us. Having the opportunity to move up north with my husband and my daughter’s family was something very exciting. We all work together and brainstorm together. It is rewarding to have three generations of our two families working in the store together. What I would love the world to know about our brand and story is that we work hard to provide the best service, products, and food we can for our customers. We love to create delicious food and serve it to others. We have updated our store inside and out and have almost tripled our regular product offerings to make it more convenient and comfortable for people to stop at our store. We support as many local and Michigan businesses as possible and offer their products in both our prepared food, and as individual items. Most importantly, we care about our customers and value them as individuals. In the crazy chaotic times we are going through it has been a blessing to be surrounded by people who care for our family and business as much as we care about them. We are truly grateful and blessed! My daughter Cort has extensive food service management and bar tending experience. She brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the store and has helped increase our product offerings tremendously. She would like to express how rewarding is has been to serve others, and teamwork makes the dream work. She also feels that hard work does pay off!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Anywhere in beautiful Meauwataka and wonderful Cadillac is a great place to go! We are located in the Manistee National Forest which has miles of trails for exploring by bike, foot, atv, (or by snowmobile during the winter). There are numerous lakes and rivers to kayak or fish in, and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets to view. During the winter we would recommend skiing at Caberfae Peaks, or Crystal Mountain. We would take them to our store and prepare some of our delicious made from scratch food and finish things by scooping up some of our hand dipped ice cream. That would definitely be a good day!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband Ken is my partner, sounding board, and the voice of reason when things get too crazy (thank goodness). He has been great at figuring out solutions to the many challenges we have encountered with purchasing an 85 year old general store. A giant shout out of thanks goes to my daughter Cort Jenkins who has been an invaluable asset to the store. Her passion for our customers, her sunny and positive nature, her work ethic, and extensive food service experience, all have contributed to the growth of our store. We would not be where we are today as a store if she was not actively involved in all aspects. Her children and husband pitch in and help at the store too, we are fortunate to have three generations working together. We would also like to thank all of our awesome customers. They have been incredibly supportive, welcoming, and kind to our family and we are very grateful.

Facebook: meauwatakageneralstore

Other: Pure Michigan website store phone 2317754783

Image Credits
Cort Jenkins Pam Sandy