'I'm beyond excited': New Golden Pantry opening in Oconee County nearly 2 years after fire

Nearly two years after an accidental fire destroyed the Golden Pantry in Bishop, the doors will open Wednesday to a new, more modern version of the store.

“We’re opening the doors tomorrow at 6 a.m.,” Golden Pantry President Robert Griffith said Tuesday. “I’m beyond excited. Our team did a phenomenal job pulling this all together. We wanted to get it open as soon as possible, but we also wanted to take the time to do it right.”

The original store, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 441 and Georgia Highway 186 in Oconee County, was destroyed by fire on the morning of April 23, 2020. The fire started in a room near the kitchen. All employees working that morning exited safely.

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Griffith said some of the opening delay involved paperwork from petroleum regulations, the certificate of occupancy and beer and wine licenses.

But the end product is exciting, Griffith said, explaining the company wanted to do a “soft” opening Wednesday and a grand opening in about a month.

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“Our goal is to take this model and replicate it across our footprint,” he said.

Lessons learned from more than 55 years in the convenience store business were used in the new design, he said.

“It’s got one of the nicest kitchens in a convenience store that I’ve ever seen. We have a new pizza program and we’re making everything on site,” Griffith said.

“This is a great day. I can’t wait to reopen the neighborhood,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Golden Pantry in Bishop: Oconee Co. store opens almost 2 years after fire