Social - August 2003

West Express caters to community’s convenience

By ALICE SMITH, Staff Writer

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Ron Burton and Jonathan Burton want to bring convenience to western Lincoln County.

“You can’t have growth out in the country without convenience,” Ron Burton said.

The father-and-son team are opening West Express, a convenience store and more, at the intersection of N.C. 27 and Cat Square Road, just across the highway from West Lincoln High School.

“This was a good opportunity for me and my dad to work together,” Jonathan Burton said.

The Burtons bought the land from Ronny Carswell. Carswell’s father owned Fairview Grocery, a country store across the road from West Express that opened in the 1930s and closed in the 70s.

“It’s sort of strange, I’m doing one right across the street,” Carswell said.

Planning the 3,000-square-foot store started about two years ago, and construction began in April.

West Express is set to open by the end of September, and the Burtons are ready for business to start.

They expect good traffic to come from students, teachers and parents going to and from the high school, as well as people just passing through the area.

Four gas pumps are set up in the parking lot. Customers can fill up from each side and pay at the pump. The pumps are the newest on the market, Ron Burton said.

 Inside, customers can purchase the usual groceries, soft drinks, snacks and beer.

But the store goes beyond the typical gas station offerings.

Skip breakfast? Grab one of West Express’ biscuits.

A plethora of beverages, including coffees, fountain drinks and tea that’s brewed on the spot will be on tap.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, deli sandwiches, egg rolls and breadsticks will be available for hungry travelers.

And for that sweet tooth, the store will have a selection of hand-dipped ice cream from which to choose.

West Express will also sell Picadilly Pizza, which is fresh-made, not frozen.

“It’s a step up,” Ron Burton said. “It’s more of a fresher pizza.”

West Express will employee about eight people, including the Burtons, who will work there full-time.

During construction, they employed all local companies and workers, Carswell said.

“We’ve tried to keep this as a community project, and everybody that’s worked on it has been local people,” he said.

And they want it to remain a place local people can come and be comfortable.

The three hope West Express will be a beacon to those living fast-paced lives.

“Hopefully it will make life a little easier for them, and we can make a living at it, too,” Ron Burton said.

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West Express will be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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