About Us

Claire has lived in Fort Valley on and off for over 20 years. She raised three children - Nicole, Michael and Christopher - in Vienna, Virginia. Her sons are now 36 years old and  32 years old, respectively. She lost her 28-year-old daughter to ovarian cancer in December 2011, which brought Claire back to the Fort for what she thought would be a few months of spiritual recovery. She is now approaching her 10th consecutive year back here in the place she loves most,  began working at the store in November 2017, and took on her management role in November 2018. Claire is also our Notary Public (registration #7806536) commissioned by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Kim has been with the store for over two years now, and it's hard to remember what it was like without her! She lives in the Fort with her husband and daughter Sarah. She also has two sons, Josh and Ben. Kim spends quite a bit of time in the family garden, got herself a passel of chickens, and tends to her bee hives in the summer months. With her keen sense of humor, incredible work ethic, and connections to our community, Kim is an asset to the store. 

Owen lives in Fort Valley with his parents. His brother and sister live away from the Fort. He was homeschooled K-12, did his first two years of college at Lord Fairfax Community College, where he was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and now he's in his last year at Liberty University. Owen tends to much of the bread making at the store. When he's not working on his studies or at the store, Owen is likely at home practicing music, writing, auditioning for a play, or taking care of his chickens and pigs. Oh, OR torturing his sister. (Read to the right.)

No, you're not seeing double. Isabelle is Owen's older sister. She and her husband Caleb met in high school, married four years ago, and now live in Strasburg. Isabelle worked for a large restaurant chain for several years before deciding she needed a little break. When she heard we needed experienced help, she offered her services, and we think she fits in just right. She's got a lot of smarts with a fair amount 'o' sass mixed in. Isabelle takes on photography gigs whenever possible and tortures her younger brother pretty much everyday. 

Veronica moved to the Fort with her husband, Kenneth, and three kids a few years ago. The Cornetts homeschool their children (long before homeschooling became a mandate) and Kenneth is a firefighter in Fairfax County. Like Mandy, Veronica has quite a few years of convenience store experience and is no stranger to hard work. And, please, don't let her softspoken demeanor fool you. She's an observer. 'Nuff said.