SOUTH FORK – Aricca Wallace and her husband Matthew came to the South Fork area a few years ago and after enjoying some much-needed down time decided they would like to contribute to the community and have moved forward building a new convenience store that is scheduled to be open by Memorial Day.

The couple moved to the area and fell in love with the small mountain community of South Fork and have since spent their time working with local and CDOT officials to open Basecamp Convenience.

“We moved to South Fork from Manhattan, Kansas and it wasn’t long before we could see the need for a convenience store. We didn’t want to have something that consumed the customer base in town, but we wanted to add to it,” said Wallace.

Prior to moving to South Fork, Wallace worked for Cenex, a gas station company out of Kansas and after having a feasibility study completed on the South Fork area, it was clear that the town could support a business like Basecamp Convenience.

“Everything has just fallen into place,” she said. “We were able to find and purchase land just off of Highway 160 by the South Fork Carnegie Library and the South Fork Fire Department. I started thinking outside of the box and asked myself, what I would like to see in South Fork as a consumer?”

Wallace is working with the community to ensure that the business is what the people of South Fork want and need. The business will be a full-service convenience store with two dog parks, one for big dogs and one for smaller dogs as well as an outdoor patio where traveling families can stop, grab a bite to eat at the store or another local business and have a place to sit and enjoy it before hitting the road again.

“Our customer base will be different than what the other businesses have. We will have grab and go food, both hot and cold, a fresh deli and 10 locations for fuel as well as larger canopies for bigger vehicles like semis and RVs. Our goal is to enhance services in South Fork. We don’t want to take away from anyone, we just want to add to customer experience,” she said.

In addition to the services that will be offered, Wallace estimates that Basecamp Convenience will bring anywhere from 12 to 18 full- and part-time jobs and plans to be open during peak hours during the summer and winter months.

“Our vision is being a clean place where travelers can stop, get what they need and the head back out on the road,” she said.

The business will also offer emergency truck parking for times when the pass is closed, and Shaw Creek Rest Area is full.

“We will not have showers, but we will have a safe place for people to park if the pass is closed,” she said.

Wallace hopes to have the store up and running by the end of May 2025.