The Manor Mart is Open!

by Connie Kent

The Manor Mart is now open for business on the lower level of the Terrace building, across from the Clinic, where the Pharmacy used to be. It serves RVM residents and employees between 10 am and 3 pm Monday through Friday. I visited there with Reina Lopez, ace photographer, first thing Monday morning.

photo by Reina Lopez

Alicia Aldrich, the manager, reports that business has been slow but steady since the Mart opened a week ago. Her boss is Cynde Maurer, Resident Services Director. The operation is cash free; residents can put charges on their account or pay by check. Employees use payroll deduction. We asked about who makes stocking decisions. Her reply: you do. On the counter, she has a suggestion box for residents and staff to submit suggestions or requests. Residents can even put in special orders.

Here are some of the things for sale:

• Snacks: candy, cookies, granola bars, and microwave popcorn.
• Paper products: toilet paper (single rolls tied up with ribbon as well as multi-roll packages), paper towels, Kleenex, stationery, greeting cards, postcards, and books of crossword puzzles
• Bouquets of flowers
• Batteries for hearing aids
• Readers
• Toiletries: toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, shaving cream and Q-tips
• Cat food
• People food: dry cereal, bread, soup, canned fruit and coffee packets. A cold case with sodas, yogurt, cottage cheese, water, and milk (no beer, though)

On shelves along one wall are small gift items from the Annex: knickknacks, figurines, small clocks and such. We asked about a whole stretch of empty shelving adjacent to the counter. It’s for over-the-counter medications (Tylenol, allergy meds and the like) and vitamins, for which licensing is pending.

We wondered if the Manor Mart would be a good place for residents to sell their crafts. Alicia said she’d check with Cyndee.

Currently, shoppers are limited to five at a time, wearing masks. During the fifteen minutes we were there, three employees and two residents came in and made purchases. Plan to check it out soon.

Here is one resident’s report after visiting the Mart:

Back when the Manor Pharmacy existed, I remember going in, looking at a gallon of distilled water (which I use to humidify my BIPAP air stream) and thinking “I can get that cheaper at Freddie’s.”  True, but largely irrelevant — the fraction of a dollar saved was paid for with a 4-mile car round trip, a limping walk back and forth across the parking lot, and negotiating Freddie’s extensive aisles, with their probably disease-laden shoppers.  Not only was the saving not worth it, but it also deprived our store of income it needed to stay in business.

The Manor Mart comes close to being a necessity for some of our residents and can be a convenience for all of us.  We need it, we want it, and we should be smart enough to support it by using it when we can.