‘We haven’t been able to buy a gallon of milk in town:’ Business owner bringing new convenience store to Blairstown

BLAIRSTOWN, Iowa (KCRG) - Right off Highway 30 in Benton County is Blairstown.

Joel Thys of Thys Chevrolet has lived there for more than 30 years. The town has several new developments on the way, including a gas station and convenience store he’s developing.

“We sit on a highway that’s busy compared to most small towns,” Thys said. “We think that’s why this investment is going to work for us.”

He started the project years ago after seeing a need in the community.

“The convenience store that was Uptown closed last December,” Thys said. “So, we’re going to fill both needs, the gas station and the convenience store portion that closed because we haven’t been able to buy a gallon of milk in town since last December.”

He’s hoping this effort will change that.

“We’re just super excited fo