Area gas station has expanded into gourmet offerings
By Sharon Coyle
Correspondent
When Renee Gavers, of East Troy, purchased Gillette’s Gas Station four years ago it seemed like a natural fit since the trucks from the family’s Gavers Pavers and Grading Company filled up there regularly for fuel.
She knew the owner of the gas station who was ready to sell. The store at highways E and LO in Eagle was a natural stop for local lake residents, a convenience locale for a few quick grocery items and gas as well as a pit stop for motorcyclists, fishermen and bicyclists passing by.
Once Gavers became owner she said she slowly began realizing that this corner gas station could become a “cornerstone store fulfilling many needs.”
A small deli that was already intact was expanded when Gavers saw “a way to increase revenue by expanding the deli selections based on what I cooked for my family.” This included husband Jeff and four children, age 12 to 24.
Gavers, always health conscious, started offering daily features like Taco Tuesdays which became a hit with regulars who dropped by this corner store which she aptly named the Cornerstone Deli and Filling Station.
After awhile she started envisioning more ways to expand the store atmosphere to include a full service coffee bar (she loves coffee), sell more grocery items, expand the wine and beer selection plus a full service deli offering from scratch lunch/dinner specials that could be single serve or taken home for a meal, freshly made sandwiches, salads, from scratch baked goods and daily made take and bake pizzas.
Cornerstone also continued offering fishing bait and hunting and fishing licenses to accommodate local clientele.
Another push to expand came when, “I was able to knock down a wall to create more space,” Gavers said.
She then moved the deli to a back area with ample space that was more recently a taxidermy business of all things. She also added tables and chairs and moved some comfortable furniture in for customer seating.
The full service coffee bar offers everything from regular coffee to smoothies made with fresh fruit, plus espresso and other specialty coffee drinks and added to the Cornerstone’s new ambiance, Gavers said.
She said her main focus is providing healthy food choices and she hired local chef Diana Dahlke to help her.
Dahlke creates a variety of dishes from meatballs to pretzel-encrusted chicken to gourmet breakfast sandwiches like an omelet on a panini to french toast and mouth- watering cinnamon rolls, éclair tortes that vanish quickly and apple turnovers.
Dahlke said she is happy that Gavers “lets me do any cooking I like and that puts the fun in it.”
Gavers is looking at setting up some outside tables in the back of the deli for lunches but is more focused on the inside deli and store these days.
Her motto is “At the Cornerstone we fill you up” whether with food, coffee or spiritually with Christian music.
Cornerstone Deli and Filling Station is open seven days a week Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Gavers also operates Studio 99 Beauty Salon in the space right next to the Cornerstone,
