BG Chamber to host ribbon cutting on March 24
By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Community continues to be the focus for Manny Patel when it comes to the businesses he owns and co-owns in Bowling Green.
Manny Patel, who has already made a mark in the community as the generous owner of the Dairy Queen and co-owner with Peter Patel of the Curry Lounge, is now jumping into the convenience market arena. His latest venture is in partnership with family members Peter, Mark Patel, Sunny Patel and Meet Patel
The group of businessmen has recently purchased Campus Mart, the convenient store that sits at the corner of Napoleon Road and South College Drive.
After two years of negotiations with the previous owner, the new owners have devoted countless hours revitalizing the inside, scrubbing the store from top to bottom, and carefully curating the food, beverages and other items to be sold.
The store has been rebranded as The Falcon Mart, “to create a stronger connection with the nearby college community,” Manny said. “Falcon is our game because we are in an area that has a lot of college housing. It’s a very good location.”
The team’s meticulous effort at getting the store ready under their leadership addressed several issues, including the previous, unfortunate sale of expired products.
They know they face some lingering perceptions from past ownership. “Some customers have hesitated to come in based on prior experiences,” Peter said, “But we are focused on changes and making improvements to meet customers’ expectations.”
Thus far, the improvements have been noticed. Business has surged over 22 percent, Manny said.
The team is in the process of adding lottery services, Bitcoin, ATM and convenient options like EBT payments and DoorDash delivery. “If someone doesn’t want to come in, they will be able to have items delivered,” Manny said.
The enthusiasm for modernizing the store with those innovative services, speaks volumes about their willingness to adapt to contemporary consumer expectations.
They also have ambitious goals for the store, including selling Indian groceries for the international students in town, and eventually adding a gas station and a drive-thru, “though that might take a while,” Manny admitted.
“Basically, in this little store you can get everything,” said Meet.
When asked, “Why a convenience mart?” Manny said, “I have a goal of having six different businesses in this town.”
“I love this community, and I want to serve the community and give access to different businesses and quality items,” he said about expanding his portfolio to include a convenience store. ”It’s something good and different from Dairy Queen and Curry Lounge.”
Because he is so appreciative of the community, bringing positive businesses to Bowling Green is one way to show his thanks. “I just want to say to the community, ‘Thank you so much for supporting me like this.”
Currently, the convenience store hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 8 a.m. to midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Eventually, they plan to add late night hours and morning hours for people to stop in for a quick grab of coffee and snacks before work. Updates about hours and any deals will be listed on the Falcon Mart Facebook page.
On March 24 at 11 a.m., the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Falcon Mart, located at 780 S. College Drive. The chamber asks for RSVPs by March 20 by visiting BGChamber.net/rsvp.
