MARTINS FERRY ­– A BellStores convenience store and filling station has opened its doors along Ohio 7 at the site of a former Marathon station.

Store manager Jodi Connor said she is no stranger to working on the site.

“I was the store manager before Campbell Oil and BellStores had bought the store, so I kind of came with the building,” she said.

With the prime location along the highway, Connor said she expects business to be good.

“We have a phenomenal marketing team, a phenomenal corporate structure, it’s an amazing company to work for,” she said.

“One thing that’s different now that we’re in the new building vs the old building is our doors will lock at 10 p.m., but we have a walk-up window, a pass-through window that customers can still get waited on and taken care of.”

She said the public can expect the welcoming atmosphere to continue.

“One thing our customers have always complimented us on is our customer service. We take care of our customers, from our regulars to people just passing by,” she said.

“We are still open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we close on Christmas Day so our employees can spend time with their families,” she said.

“It’s nice, the first time I’ve been in it,” Keith Flading of Colerain said, adding the selection is impressive.

Connor said food is another reason for travelers to stop by.

“Our grand opening was just (last) Thursday. We opened with a new selection of not only products, but some hot food options for our customers as well,” she said.

“We now offer the Hunk Brothers Pizza, and the nice thing about the Hunk Brother Pizza is it’s any 12-inch for $11.99, no extra charge for toppings.”

Food from Champs Chicken is also featured at the stop.

“We’re also offering the Champs Breakfast. They offer a variety of breakfast sandwiches along with a breakfast burrito, sausage gravy and biscuits,” she said. “We offer hamburgers, hot dogs and the chicken tender sandwich…we have a very nice variety for hot lunches.”

She added people are welcome to apply.

“We’re always taking applications. We’re always looking for customer service representatives who will take care of our customers for us,” Connor said.

Bellstores is located at 507 Crawford St.