Oneida Nation to roll out new convenience store, called Maple Leaf Market

SHERRILL, N.Y. — The Oneida Indian Nation plans to build a new convenience store, called Maple Leaf Market in the city of Sherrill. And more are on the way.

The Oneidas say they expect to open five Maple Leaf Market locations “within the next two to three years.”

Construction on the first store, located on Route 5 and Sherrill Road in the city of Sherrill, is set to begin “at the end of May” with a grand opening planned for the fall, according to a news release the Oneida Nation issued Thursday.

The Nation describes Maple Leaf Market as “the next generation of convenience stores that emphasizes healthier grab-and-go meal and snack choices made with fresh ingredients and freshly-brewed gourmet coffee.”

“We are constantly evolving our businesses as the needs and lifestyles of our guests change,” Ray Halbritter, Oneida Nation representative and Nation Enterprises CEO, said in the release. “Combining a convenient one-stop-shop experience with fresh made-to-order food, Maple Leaf Market will fulfill the needs for our always-on-the-go guests moving forward.”

John Boucouvalas, director of SāvOn and Maple Leaf Market operations, will oversee the expansion and daily operations of the new Maple Leaf Market. Boucouvalas has more than 25 years of leadership experience in convenience-store brands, including 13 years with Media, Pennsylvania–based Wawa Food Markets.

The culinary team from the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino will help with the development of Maple Leaf Market’s menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, and pastas. Snacks will include fruits and vegetables, along with gourmet coffee.

The Oneida Nation is having Maple Leaf Market designed in a “rustic-contemporary Adirondack-style,” which it sees “as a tribute to upstate New York and symbolic of the Nation’s profound regional pride,” the release noted.

For this project, the Oneida Nation is again working with La Jolla, California–based SixteenFifty Creative Intelligence. The California firm also worked with the Oneida Nation on the design of its restaurants at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, including TS Steakhouse, Upstate Tavern, Tin Rooster, and Pino Bianco.

SixteenFifty is also handing the design of Point Place Casino, a $40 million casino project that the Oneida Nation plans to build in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com