ASHMORE, DIGBY COUNTY, NS – A new convenience store owner in Ashmore is using her business as a way to pay tribute to Maud Lewis.
Cyndy Kreutner reopened the old Ashmore Convenience store on Highway 101 in May.
Kreutner decided to dedicate a part of her store to Maud Lewis by painting coffee tables and the walls with Maud Lewis-style paintings.
“We were just fascinated with her and how the community is just in love with her story,” she says.
Kreutner encourages visitors to stop by her store and sit down, relax and enjoy the paintings.
She’s even received offers from customers inquiring about buying a painted table, but she thinks she’ll hold on to them for now.
“It’s so nice to hear stories from people in the community about meeting her or having a connection with her in some way,” she says. “I’ve never met her, but it feels like I have by the way people talk about her.”
Kreutner hopes her business can act as more than a store. She’s offered her Maud Lewis sitting area to local groups that need a place to sit and talk.
She hopes seniors, or young mothers or any group of people who need an area to meet will take her up on her offer.
“I know there’s not a whole lot of space around here for people to just meet and talk, whoever they are, if they need a place, they can come here,” she said.
Kreutner’s journey with owning a convenience store didn’t start out how she would have liked it to.
Just weeks after opening in May, the store was broken into overnight.
“It scared us a little bit but we’re not giving up,” she says.
With nearly $5,000 in damage, she wasn’t sure if she was going to stay open, but with help from the community she decided it was best to stay open.
The store offers more than just any convenience store. Kreutner has a selection of handmade products, including her handmade soap that keeps selling out, along with a selection of clothes for sale in the back room.
“We have a little bit of everything,” she adds.
