South Congaree, SC (Paul Kirby) 11/30/2020 - The Palm Pantry Convenience Store and Deli is now open on Main Street in South Congaree. It opened its doors to the public for the first time today, Friday, December 4, 2020 at 5:00 a.m. It's in the building that once housed Shealy’s PDQ.
Business owner Anil “Neal” Patel, has renovated the entire building inside and out. It will be fully operated by the owner himself with a staff he's selected for their courtesy and experience. Patel worked hundreds of hours alongside his wife and other family members to prepare for opening day making sure that everything is just as it should be for their customers.
The gas island features all new and high tech “pay at the pump” technology. The covered fuel island will dispense both 87 (regular) and 93 (octane) gasolines along with diesel fuel. The parking lot has been restriped and pressured washed. The exterior of the building is painted in warm, earthy colors selected from the Town of South Congaree’s Architectural Review Standard color palette. The interior of the building was fully gutted and remodeled from new floors and features new walk-in coolers, and a new register counter.
One end of the store will stock all the items you would expect in a modern convenience store. The owner has personally monitored the new inventory being stocked to meet the needs of the local community. Anil has been in this business over fifteen years in South Carolina alone, and he prioritizes understanding and fulfilling the needs of the community he serves. In a recent interview Patel stated, “Since, we are not a large chain stores, we can quickly adjust our ordering to make sure we have the items that the customers in this community love and want. We’re quick to adapt to the customer’s needs because we are not abounded by any corporate mandates.”
The other end of the store was converted into ‘The Palm Pantry Deli’ which will prepare both cook to order, ready to eat, and To-Go homemade breakfast and lunch orders. The popular meat and three vegetable lunches will soon return and special are in the works that are sure to be crowd pleasers. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the dine-in furniture was delayed in shipping but additional seating is coming soon. The menu for The Palm Pantry Deli can be found by following this link.
The store will open daily at 5:00 a.m. and will close at 10:00 p.m. The deli will close at 3:00 p.m. each afternoon. A Grand Opening Celebration, Ribbon Cutting, and Family Fun Day Celebration will begin later today at 11:00 a.m. The ribbon will be snipped at 11:30 a.m. and several community leaders will make short comments at that time. A crowd of dignitaries will gather outside the building for a short time to use that opportunity to welcome the Patels to the community.
During the celebration, there will be lots of vendor swag being given away, free balloons for the kids, FREE hot dogs and snacks while they last, and even free horse rides provided by the S Over Rocking K Ranch out of Pelion, SC. Parents are invited to photograph their children while they are being led on horseback rides.
Anil and his staff invite everyone to stop by and look around, buy whatever you need, grab a bite to eat, play the SC Education Lottery, and enjoy the new store at 1251 Main Street in South Congaree.
