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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 2018)
BUSINESS Saturday, December 22, 2018 East Oregonian A13 The Quick Stop finds niche on busy Highway 395 Drive-thru convenience store celebrates five years in business By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Anyone who pulls into the 395 Quick Stop can travel the nation in a mat- ter of seconds, running their eyes over a rainbow of license plates from every state covering the wall of the shop — but the drive-thru convenience store’s roots are planted firmly in Hermiston. “I came across the license plates a few years back, and I’ve had customers bring them to me,” said owner Junior Ortega. “That Florida plate, a customer brought it for me.” Such camaraderie has become normal between Ortega and his customers since the Hermiston native opened his drive-thru conve- nience store, 395 Quick Stop, five years ago on Christ- mas Day. As he patched up a hole in the driveway on Thursday, he kept pausing to wave as drivers waved and honked at him. Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan Hermiston native Junior Ortega owns the 395 Quick Stop, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Christmas Day. Three employees, includ- ing Ortega, keep the store running, making snacks and drinks or bringing packaged goods like sodas and candy out to guests, who don’t have to leave their cars. Open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Ortega spends most of his time at the store. He recently started closing the shop on Sun- days so he can spend more time with his family, which includes four sons. With a background in sales, Ortega said he has always enjoyed thinking of new ideas and ways to pro- vide a service. The store started out as a simple con- venience store, selling pack- aged snacks and sodas, as well as beer and items like bags of ice — but allowing people to stay in their cars while employees bring the items right to their windows. Ortega has added new things, some at the request of customers and others his own ideas. “Like gallons of milk,” he said. “That was the sug- gestion of a customer. We do things like ‘build your own six-pack’ of beer. I try to keep an open mind.” Tostilocos, fruit cups with chamoy, cups of corn and bionicos, Mexican snacks and desserts, have been added to the menu, as are some specialty lemonades and Red Bull drinks. Come spring, he hopes to expand the menu even further, add- ing street tacos and burritos. Though some of the spe- cialty items, like the fla- vored lemonades, have become especially popular with customers, Ortega said he believes the atmosphere of the store is what keeps people coming back. “We get all kinds of dif- ferent customers,” he said. “The easiest way to tell if they’re new is when they come in the drive-thru the wrong way.” Though the interac- tions are short, with hun- dreds of customers driving through each day, Ortega said he tries to make every- one who comes through feel welcome. Jordan Sharp, who came through the drive-thru on Thursday afternoon, said she’s been coming to the Quick Stop since it opened. “We were really excited,” she said. “It’s so convenient. I hated dragging my kids into a gas station.” They enjoy the corn and Takis with cheese, as well as the interaction with the store’s employees. “It’s fun that they do trivia and give away drinks,” she said. “We keep it pretty sim- ple,” Ortega said. “You take care of the people who take care of you.” He also interacts with his customers regularly on Facebook, Snapchat, Insta- gram and Twitter, posting multiple times a day, with specials and trivia questions that customers can answer when they drive through. “Social media is my cup of tea,” he said. Earlier in the week, he posted a poll, asking cus- tomers which of the store’s three employees they’d like to see dressed up as Santa Claus while they work this Saturday. Customers, of course, chose Ortega, so he donned a St. Nick suit for the weekend as he worked. “Our customers are what make the whole idea fun,” he said. “I’m really big on relationships, and I’m pretty happy with what we’ve put together in the past five years.” A decade-long rally on Wall Street looks like it’s ending NEW YORK (AP) — After almost 10 years, Wall Street’s rally looks like it’s ending. Another day of big losses Friday left the U.S. market with its worst week in more than seven years. All of the major indexes have lost 16 to 26 percent from their highs this summer and fall. Bar- ring huge gains during the upcoming holiday period, this will be the worst Decem- ber for stocks since 1931. There hasn’t been one major shock that has sent stocks plunging. The U.S. economy has been growing since 2009, and most experts think it will keep expanding for now. But it’s likely to do so at a slower pace. As they look ahead, investors are finding more and more reasons to worry. The U.S. has been locked in a trade dispute with China for nine months. Economies in Europe and China are slowing. And rising interest rates in the U.S. could slow its economy even more. Stocks are now headed for their single worst month since October 2008, when the market was being bat- tered by the global financial crisis. December is generally the strongest time of the year for U.S. stocks. Traders often talk about a “Santa rally” that adds to the year’s gains as people adjust their port- folios in anticipation of the year to come. But not this year. No sector of the mar- ket has been spared. Large multi-national companies join smaller domestic ones in their losses. And huge high- tech companies, once the best-performing stocks on the market, are now leading the way lower. Technology’s huge popu- larity during the recent boom years made it even more vul- nerable as investors’ moods turn sour. Amazon, Face- book, Apple, Netflix, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, have seen their market values fall by hun- dreds of billions of dollars. “If you live by momen- tum, you die by momen- tum,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist for CFRA. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File In this Dec. 11, 2018, file photo, the New York Stock Exchange is bathed in holiday light in New York. 49th Annual Christmas Express Purchase a vehicle in December and a portion of all proceeds will go towards purchasing new toys for the Christmas Connection. New toy donations will also be accepted at the dealership. TUNDRA NEW 2019 TOYOTA /MO $ 399 $ Up to 36 months. On approved credit. 0 DOWN Stk# 19h108. See dealer for details. Sale Price 43,003.03. GFV 33,265.37. $1500 Toyota Financial Service customer cash included. 10k miles per year USBANK lease. 36 month lease. $0 cash down. 399/Mo. On approved credit. Plus tax, title and $75 doc fee. Offer expires 01/02/19. 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