Village Pantry, located at 1831 E. 10th St. near Eigenmann Hall, operated routinely Sept. 25. But the following day around 4 a.m., the store closed for eight to 10 hours. After this, the location reopened as Way2Go Mart, a part of a local Indiana chain of convenience stores.
General manager Tyler Leap said the change was discussed months in advance to the transfer.
Purdue alumnus Sunny Singh founded Way2Go Mart in Lafayette in 2018, with the purpose of providing cheaper prices for the same convenience store items, Leap said.
They have since expanded within Indiana with about 20 different locations, Leap said. Village Pantry was a part of GPM Investments LLC, which is the sixth largest convenience store chain in the country, according to GPM’s website.
Leap said that the main difference between Way2Go Mart and Village Pantry is the prices of their products are cheaper.
Way2Go Mart sells many similar prepackaged foods and beverages as Village Pantry. The store also plans to sell hot food items in the future. Apart from the prepackaged products, Way2Go Mart sells nicotine and tobacco products in the store. These products were not sold at the former Village Pantry, Leap said.
“Look less like a convenience store, and more like a small grocery store,” Leap said about his vision for Way2Go Mart.
GPM Investments LLC also sold the Village Pantry location in Greenwood, in the past few months, but there are no current updates on what has replaced this location.
The sign for the new Way2Go Mart will be up soon, but the location is currently open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
