Despite staying busy with their collection of gas station and convenience stores in the region, Sumac Mart owners Jason and Cindy Langston were anxious to re-open what was once their “dream” business.
On Wednesday, March 10, that dream was reborn when the Sumac Mart on Smackover Highway officially reopened.
The Langstons were in the beginning phases of constructing an expanded addition to the store in August 2020 when a grease fire that began in one of the store’s fryers grew out of control.
Smackover Police Chief Michael Fife called the resulting damage a “total loss” in a statement to the News-Times shortly after the fire, and the owners were left to pick up the pieces and rebuild.
“I call this store ‘Jason’s baby.’ He grew up [in Smackover] and this store has been in the community for a long time,” Cindy Langston said.
The two settled in Smackover after marrying and saw owning Sumac Mart as an eventual, long-term goal.
“This was the dream store. We would come and get dinner here when we were refurbishing our house,” Cindy Langston said.
After purchasing the gas station, the two had an ongoing, multi-part plan to expand the store.
Stage three - the new, expanded truck stop style store - was delayed but not denied by the fire.
Jason Langston said the expanded store is around 7,300 square feet, approximately three times larger than it was previously.
One new aspect of the expanded store are the facilities added for truck drivers including showers, a washer and dryer for laundry and special bathrooms.
Cindy Langston has several truck drivers in her family and reached out to them for advice on building a trucker-friendly store.
“We wanted to be able to give [truck drivers] a clean and safe place and safe parking,” she said.
A new generator will also allow the store to stay up-and-running during power outages.
“We noticed during a recent power outage that people are always looking for gas for their generators, so we invested in a generator for the store,” Cindy Langston said.
The Langstons were also happy to welcome back many returning staff members, though they are still currently hiring and were expanding the staff as of opening day.
“We did not lose many employees. We were able to send most of the employees to other stores we own so we’re retaining a lot of employees, though some did move away or find other work,” Cindy Langston said.
New features inside the store are numerous and include a large “Brew House” walk-in beer cooler, a significantly expanded kitchen and menu for their hot food service, new fountain machines and an overall expanded stock.
The store’s deli also has a drive-through window now, and the owners plan to expand into healthier food options as well as other future additions.
Wednesday morning, the store was already packed with customers lined up at the deli or browsing the freshly-placed stock.
All evidence of the fire is now long-gone beneath the bright new facade and the Sumac Mart is open and ready to welcome the community.