A local store was created 108 years ago, and this 85-year-old still loves running it after 39 years
Published at | Updated at
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
AMMON
Ammon Speedi Mart owner looks back on 39 years of business and 108 years of history
AMMON – Ammon Speedi Mart is one of many places in eastern Idaho where customers stop every day to buy snacks or get a tank of gas without giving it a second thought.
The convenience store on the corner of Sunnyside and Ammon Road has been a popular pit stop for decades. Lennis Tirrell, an 85-year-old man who has owned the shop since 1984, says customers enjoy the selection of products, many of which cost less than Maverik next door and other places.
But one of the main reasons customers keep coming back has nothing to do with its inventory. The business dates back to the early 1900s and locals have fond memories of patronizing it over the years.
“When we purchased the store, everybody would come in and ask me how old the store was,” Tirrell recalls. “I went in and pulled the building permit (from Bonneville County Planning and Zoning), and it was dated 1915.”
Its first owner, according to historical records provided by Tirrell, was Leo Nielsen. He moved to Ammon with his family in 1903 and went on to become a state legislator.
He became owner of what was then Ammon Mercantile Co.
“There was always a friendly feeling and a bit of humor when Leo waited upon you. Children were often treated to stick candy or licorice,” the historical record says.
The building that houses the current store was built in 1918. It was common practice for business owners to live at their shop in those days, and there is living space in the basement and back of the business to this day.
Gas at the time was pumped from a 10-gallon cylinder. It was sold two gallons at a time for 25 cents. See what it looked like in the picture below this article.
“You pumped the gas up with a long lever attached to the side,” a former employee shares in a written history. “When it was released into the car, it would measure the gallons in decreasing numbers and it was easy to stop on the desired amount … you wanted. Many of the gas tanks in the cars were on the front of the car.”
Nielsen eventually sold the business to Leonard Ball.
The walls of Tirrell’s shop are decorated with paintings by his nephew, Merrill Judy. They’re pictured below and highlight the building’s history beginning in about 1930.
“The oldest photograph that we could find was Criddle’s Grocery,” Tirrell explains.
It became Judy’s Cash Store when John and Janice Judy bought it in the late 1930s. (Tirrell’s wife, Margene, is John’s niece). Dick and Ethel Kelly bought it in 1947, and the name was changed to Kelly’s Saveway.
When the Tirrells bought the business, they’d been running a Speedi Mart at 415 East Anderson in Idaho Falls for about four years. Before that, he’d come off a 20 year career as a salesman for Slusser Wholsesale, which supplied many products for stores like Speedi Mart.
Many of the products he used to sell are carried in the store today.
“We traveled around the valley and got acquainted with the small stores,” Lennis explains. “We built the store on Anderson. It’s the only thing that I knew … and I felt more comfortable in that business than in any other business.”
Today, Tirrell’s daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Kendall Ward, run the store on Anderson. The Ammon location was renovated about five or six years ago.
After 39 years of operation, Tirrell says he still loves the business, interacting with customers, and the sense of accomplishment he feels at the end of the day.
Despite his age, Tirrell has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“As long as my health permits, I still love to come to the store,” he says.
GALLERY
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
The Culver’s Curderburger was originally an April Fool’s Joke. Now it’s on the menu and we tried it.
New medical clinic offers services that weren’t previously available in this local community
Local mother uses women’s breast milk to create soap, lotion and diaper cream
New safari park opens in Rexburg, promising opportunities to “look wild in the eyes”
If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don't forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.
Biz Buzz is brought to you by Idaho Central Credit Union, the premier credit union in Idaho. Its mission is "Helping members achieve financial success."