BY VIRGINIA CODY

With the Aug. 31 purchase of Rob’s Market in Montrose, Ray Petty now has three locations of Ray’s Shur Save.

Petty, who’s been in the grocery business for more than 35 years, said he’s pleased with his recent purchase, especially since it was a long time coming.

“I’ve been wanting to expand for the last couple of years,” he said, adding that there had been a few nearly-done deals that had fallen through along the way.

Petty said the area around Montrose fits right in with his business plan to stay in the small town arena, providing as much as possible with limited space.

“It’s a growing area up there.  Montrose is a nice town.  There are good people there, same as here, same as Waymart,” he said while sitting in his Factoryville store office.

And setting up shop in Montrose adds some convenience for some of his customers who were regularly traveling into Factoryville to shop.

“We have customers fromBrooklynand Hop Bottom coming here,” he said.

Since those people live almost dead center between the two stores, they’ll have the option of shopping at either location in order to get the same service and products they’re used to.

Petty said the Montrose store is not quite as large as the Waymart store and twice as large as the Factoryville store.

“It’s about 15,000 square feet, and it’s in a shopping plaza.”

As a result, he doesn’t expect to have to do much to the store to make it conform to the Ray’s business format.

Petty said that he is looking to make some changes elsewhere, explaining that he hopes to one day increase the size of the Factoryville Ray’s Shur Save onCollege Avenue.

“I’ve been looking for land on the highway for 10 years,” he said, but added that nothing he’s seen on State Route 6 has been suitable.

He also said that to expand the Ray’s Factoryville building would be too complicated a process and would require the demolition of several homes.

So, for now, Ray’s Factoryville will stay as it is in the building Petty had built in 1986.

“This is where I started,” he said, but pointed out that the store had originally been down the street in a rented building.

Petty said that with all three stores counted, he has more than 100 employees. The Montrose store currently employs 34 employees, some of whom have just been hired.

The Waymart store has 45 employees, and the Factoryville store has 28.

Those employees, he said, are the main contributors to his stores’ success.

“We try to be friendly, provide good customer service,” he said.  “And I don’t do it alone.  We’ve got very good people.  It’s the only way.”

Petty said he’s very excited about his venture into Montrose.

“I think we’ll do well with the people.  I think we can satisfy their needs.”