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Meet the new 4 Corners Market photo by Jim Craven By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Other than the location, there wasn�t much good to say about the old Big Four Market at Four Corners intersection where Table Rock and Vilas roads meet. The grocery store, once known as Yoakley�s Little Supermarket, goes back at least to the 1940s. In its heyday, it had a butcher shop and produce department among other amenities jammed into 7,000 square feet. But the years hadn�t been good to the store as it withered into dingy obsolescence. "The first thought that came across everybody�s mind when they went in there was �What a dive, it stinks and I�ll never come back,� " says co-owner Dave Judd. "In the summertime, it was hotter inside than outside. It just wasn�t an inviting environment." But Judd looked beyond the aging mess, saw potential and decided the opportunity was worth pursuing. After months of refurbishing, 4 Corners Market has emerged fresh-faced and ready to serve a new generation. The old store became dependent on beer and cigarette sales for survival with warmed over Jo Jos as the deli�s primary offering. Judd and his partner Kevin Barden � both former Safeway Inc. employees � have targeted a different audience. "We are not going to compete with the big grocery stores," Judd says. "We will compete with you if you run a deli, sell videos or espresso." He considers the revamped option a one-stop shop for people who entertain themselves on weekends, parlaying pizza, soda and recently-released videos. But you won�t find more of anything here. Neither are you likely to find aging fried things placed in the bin at 10 a.m. and still there at night. "It�s a lot more upbeat and energetic around here now," says Debra Scearcy, the only one of seven employees who returned to the store when it was re-opened. "The fact that it is so open, bright and airy � and the cleanliness. � make for a whole different atmosphere." The new owner grew up a stone�s throw from Giles Market on Roberts Road, where he began his working days. Judd spent from 1983 to 1989 working for Safeway, rising to district trainer. Then in 1989, he took a leave of absence and journeyed down a different path. Judd had launched a shake roof restoration business on the side that became known as Pressure Point Roofing. "I asked for a three-month leave of absence and figured if it didn�t work out I probably would come back as a clerk," Judd recalls. "But my boss told me if it didn�t work out I could come back to my same job. I was in a no-lose situation. It took off like wildfire as soon as I started paying attention to it. I had to let my boss know I wasn�t coming back." Judd later branched off into construction and Safe-A-Way Commercial Storage at 4707 Table Rock Road. Barden met Judd during their Safeway days and later joined the Pressure Point crew. But the physically demanding roof work led Barden back to the Safeway where he served as front-end manager of the Crater Lake Plaza store in 1998. But after Judd obtained 4 Corners and three surrounding acres housing an automotive shop, Truss Span-Lumberman�s Supply and Rentals, he asked Barden to team up with him on his new venture. "It was a good opportunity and Kevin�s a good operations guy and great with customers," Judd says. The new owners took possession on April 28 and gutted the structure. "My original plans were to change the exterior as well," Judd says, "but because the building was so old the engineer suggested leaving the shell because code requirements would have been cost-prohibitive." The staff has doubled and so have sales. Recently operation was extended to 24 hours a day, allowing for food prep during the graveyard shift. In the training process, Judd has pulled a few all-nighters. "I had the dream of opening a deli 16 or 18 years ago," Judd said, "but I couldn�t get the cog wheels all lined up." Times have changed. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.