Reading Quick Stop opened its doors back in 2005 and was purchased shortly thereafter in 2010 by resident Dan Dewar. Now in 2023, new owners Mohammad Kamal and Zahidul Islam are ready to take their first dive into convenience store ownership at 519 Main Street.
Mohammad and Zahidul first heard about the store being for sale back in December of 2022 but didn’t take over control until May of this year. The main reason for the delay was the Massachusetts Lottery license being approved. Even though there was an existing license, it had to be issued in the new owner’s names and it turned out to be a lengthy process.
I asked Mohammad, “What made you want to open your first convenience store in Reading of all places?”, Mohammad mentioned that he and his business partner Zahidul both have over 10 years’ experience each working in convenience stores, and it was an easy transition. Mohammad went on to say, “We are community people, we provide a good service, and a good experience here for a reasonable price”. What’s the biggest seller in the store since they took over, other than lottery? It’s all energy drinks and Richie’s Slush, mainly because its summer time.
The first thing the new owners did was redesign the layout of the store. They took down the lottery tickets that use to be on the counter and moved them to the back wall, added an ice chest, relocated the New England Coffee station to the rear of the store and moved the middle tables to the front of the store instead. The ceiling lighting were replaced with LED panels, which made a significant difference in the overall look of the store. They also added new security cameras inside as well as outside the building. In terms of new payment options, they now accept EBT and Apple Pay and the ATM is fully operational.
With parking being an issue out front, the new owners have added additional on-site parking to address the concerns expressed by customers. They now have parking in the rear of the building as well as two new spots along the side, outlined in yellow in the picture attached. They’d like to be open later than 9pm but with parking unregulated after 5pm, it’s not feasible. They hope with customer education on their new parking areas, to give it a chance in the future.
Check out the stores redesigned layout including their new product selections below or better yet, in person at 519 Main Street! Welcome to Reading Mohammad and Zahidul.
Hope you all have a good business! Good luck
Such a nice work done inside and outside. I wish them well and prospect.