.jpg)
Mays Grocery, a Magnolia Avenue convenience store that has served the south end of Buena Vista for the better part of a century, is no longer owned by the Mays family. Bela Property 8, a limited liability corporation, purchased the store, along with the Mays family's other store, Pinky's, on Longhollow Road, just outside the city limits, on April 19.
The Mays family owned and operated Mays Grocery since the 1930s. Third-generation owner Sam “Porky” Mays, who ran the store the past several decades, died in March of 2021. Since then, his sons, Stacey and Allan, had been running the store.
Mitesh “Max” Patel and other family members comprise the LLC that purchased the stores. They also own several other convenience stores both inside and outside the Rockbridge area. Patel said they have owned Poplar Hill Exxon for about five years and bought the TPee's store in Arnolds Valley in February. The LLC also owns stores in Roanoke and Pulaski and at Smith Mountain Lake.
Bela Investment Inc. bought a house next to Mays Grocery. Patel said a family member plans to live in that house, which is on the north side of the store.
Like Poplar Hill Exxon and TPee's, Mays Grocery and Pinky's will continue to be operated under the same names and in the same manner as they have been for years, said Patel. The hours may be extended a little and the stores may have a few more offerings.
He said he wants to give the stores “a fresh look, bring more stuff into the stores. We'll have more choice in product. That way people won't have to go out of town, saving them money and time.”
