"Have a little bit of everything": Soda Springs General Store welcomes snow, 20th winter season
SODA SPRINGS -- It's the 20th winter season for the locally owned Soda Springs General Store, and the first snowstorm of the season signals the busy season is near.
The husband and wife team opened the store to serve the Soda Springs community with needs that range from groceries, pantry staples, car supplies, and an expanded hot food bar. Cheryl Paduano, the co-owner, said she purposely stocks multiple types of items from mustards to crackers to give tourists and locals the ability to find whatever they want.
It hasn't always been so easy on the first snow, she said, the biggest lesson from year 1 to year 20: preparation.
"Now we know what we're doing a little bit more, so we get ready a little bit earlier in the year," said Paduano.
She said, in the early years, preparation for the first snow started a week before, but now, begins months in advance. On Monday, after six inches of snow fell in 12 hours, the store was stocked with the right items, all the team had to do was shovel the walkways and parking lot.
"When someone walks in and they were hoping that they could cook this kind of a meal, we have it, or if they need to feed their dog, we have pet food," said Paduano. "We kind of have to have a little bit of everything."
She said she's still getting canned items, car supplies, and most-wanted items, like soup, stocked on shelves. She knows the tourists and visitors will arrive when area ski resorts open for the season towards the end of the month. More snow, Paduano said, is better for business. They have the needed amount of supplies and food stocked for customers if, as has happened in years past, I-80 is closed due to weather for an extended period of time.
They see the snow before Thanksgiving as a sign the winter season will be busy and profitable.
