New business in Clarendon thankful for community support
Jeremy and Tracy Van Ameron opened Van’s Pit Stop right before Covid-19 pandemic hit
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jeremy Van Ameron stands with his daughter Ali and wife Tracy in front of their store on Route 237 in Clarendon. Jeremy, who owns an auto repair shop in Albion, plans to move that business to Clarendon in the near future.
CLARENDON – An Albion businessman and his family are being welcomed into the town of Clarendon, and applauded for committing to a new business during the recent pandemic.
Jeremy Van Ameron and his wife Tracy purchased the convenience store and gas station on Route 237 in October. They spent months cleaning and remodeling, with plans to move his auto repair shop there.
“We started selling food and gas in February, and then the pandemic hit,” Tracy said. “We had to shut down our seating area inside.”
“Then gas prices dropped off because nobody was going anywhere,” Jeremy said. “But the Clarendon community helped us a lot. They provided a ton of support.”
Tracy said they were in awe of the amount of support the community provided.
“That’s what us locals do,” said Nyla Gaylord, coordinator of the Clarendon Farmers’ Market, which the Van Amerons invited to set up this year on their property. “We like to hang out and talk, and the Van Amerons put tables out in front for us.”
Gaylord commended the Van Amerons for not giving up when things were so difficult. She said Tracy, who is a software engineer for L3 Harris Corporation, not only had to work her job during the pandemic, as well as the new business, but she was faced with home schooling her children: Justin, 16 and Ali, 12. A son Zach was a student in college.
Jeremy grew up in Albion, but moved back to Clarendon in 1997. Since purchasing the convenience store they call Van’s Pit Stop, they have expanded the menu to include wings, chicken tenders, hot and cold subs, steakburgers, various sides and a pit plate of two hamburgers or cheeseburgers, fries or home fries, macaroni salad and meat sauce. A variety of breakfast sandwiches are also available.
A Friday night fish try has become very popular, Jeremy said. They use only fresh, skinless haddock, with comes with fries, cole slaw or macaroni salad.
They just recently added ice cream.
The store is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The kitchen closes each night one hour before the store closing.
