Crossroads Pantry reaches 40th Anniversary
A framed photo of the couple that started it all - Brian and Donna Schindler.
Hat Tip Katelynn Farley
It’s not every day that a small family-owned business reaches 40 years, but February 1, 2025 marked that very special occasion for Crossroads Pantry in Markle, Indiana.
The convenience store was started by Brian and Donna Schindler and opened its doors on the first Friday in February of 1985. Their children, Jason Schindler and Tria Henderson, have been involved in some way, shape or form since the store opened, and the pair took over operations when Brian and Donna retired in 2010.
In an e-mail interview with Brian and Donna, the couple shared that while working for National Oil and Gas in the 1980s, Brian noticed that a few of the gas stations he called on were converting to convenience stores. Brian wanted to try his hand at that kind of work, and started the hunt for a location. Finally, they found what used to be the Standard Station in Markle and “the adventure was started.” Although their children were too young at the time to run a register, they helped out at the store and learned the process of running a business from a young age.
While the standard of service is one thing the family has always tried to keep the same about their stores since opening the Markle location, a lot of physical changes and item offerings have happened over the years. Upon first opening, the only hot food available was microwaveable sandwiches, and there was ice cream available where the deli and hot food area used to be. At one point, the store even had a Taco Bell incorporated into it.
The entire hot food program is one thing that has majorly changed over the years - and Tria points to that program as what makes the Markle store stand out.
“It’s more like a restaurant than people realize,” Tria said. “When I tell people that we have a convenience store and that we have a really good food program, they’re [skeptical] … and then I tell them we have a smoker and we do ribs and chicken and we have a flat top grill. And that we use quality product … that’s what makes this palace stand out the most from the others.”
The hot food program offers a variety of breakfast items in the morning as well as lunch specials every weekday. There are also staples such as Broaster Chicken, hot sandwiches, sides and appetizers. Hunt Brothers Pizza, hand-crafted hot subs, hot dogs and other grab-and-go items are also available. Lunch hours begin at 10:30 a.m. and food is served from the hot food case until 7 p.m.
The most major changes to the Markle store aren’t just what is offered, but the physical footprint of the store as well. Over the course of 40 years, there have been multiple expansion operations that have required a few houses to be moved to different locations in town - one of which was to build the touch-free car wash available behind the store. Other changes inside have included expanding the kitchen to accommodate the needs of the hot food program and including a seating area so that guests may sit down and relax while they eat their lunch.
Danielle Bennett, the manager at Crossroads’ Markle location, has worked for the company since 2007 when she was still in high school and playing sports. She started out working the registers and worked her way up through the ranks, taking on nearly every role you could think of along the way. She moved to working at the Warren location when it was purchased in 2012, coming back to the Markle location to manage the kitchen operations in 2013.
“I was always teased when I was here in high school that I would be a lifer,” Bennett said, “but thinking about going to school for surgical tech back then, I would have to be on third shift or set hours and, what if the kids are sick? This place allows me to be the mom I have always wanted to be. I’ve always wanted to work because I think that hard work is engrained in me, but I wanted to be able to be there for my kids on sick days or field trips and I wouldn’t have been able to do that without this place.”
One thing that Bennett wanted to share about Markle’s “everything store” was how much effort goes into catering to the needs of the customers who come through the doors at Crossroads Pantry.
“If we don’t have something that they want, we will try to get it, and we’ll find the best way possible to get it,” Bennett said. “If there’s something that someone wants, we will try to get it in stock. On top of that, Jason does biweekly trips to Sam's Club so we can get the best possible prices on grocery items for people.”
Brian and Donna knew early on that their patrons could “go anywhere to get a Pepsi and a Snicker Bar," but trained their children to understand that Crossroads had to be different enough that people wanted to come to the store to get those items. They also taught them that the best way to do that was to treat people right.
“We try to treat our employees like family, and we want to welcome our customers - we know they’re the most important thing,” Tria said. “We want people to come here because we treat them differently than everywhere else. And hopefully that’s what we’ve been able to spread - they’ll have a friendly face and a smile. We ask about how your family is doing because we care and because they have become family to us.”
Although the family doesn't often wish to be in the spotlight, they do what they can to give back to the community that has welcomed them for so many years with open arms. Whether it be through making donations to local fundraisers to hosting a day-long Customer Appreciation event every year, Tria says she hopes they "have been good stewards of what God has given them" and that their customers know how important they are to the family.
Brian and Donna give many thanks to their customers and others for the success of their business throughout the years.
“To our customers - we are forever grateful for your support through these 40 years, for it is YOU, the people who continue to frequently visit our store … we could not have been able to stay in business without the support and friendship you have given us,” Donna said. “We will always hold a very dear place in our hearts for our ‘little, big town’ of Markle and our 4 grouches (whom we have never found)! We love you all and recognize the big favor you have done for us in supporting us.”