The Runway, a gas station and mercantile store, is planning to open in Dolores at the beginning of the year.

The owners, Jared Hansen and Karen Becker Hansen, plan to offer a range of products, from snacks and outdoor recreation equipment to shoes and accessories for mobile devices.

The two own a manufacturing business that is headquartered in Germany, but this is their first time opening a retail store.

"We wanted to be connected to the people of Dolores," Becker Hansen said.

The couple started renovating the building at the corner of Highway 145 and Fourth Street in October after moving into the area from Salt Lake City in August.

The couple have involved their children and the people of Dolores in planning the contents of store.

Their 12-year-old daughter, who enjoys cooking, suggested the store sell her recipes and baskets, including all the ingredients necessary, to go along with each one.

"We don't want to be 100 percent commercial," Becker Hansen said.

The two hope that this dinner-in-a-basket idea will provide an alternative to ordering take-out from a local restaurant.

The couple set up a Facebook page called the Dolores Online Yard Sale in November to give away items left behind in the store and to invite the people of Dolores to suggest products for the new store. Other local Facebook users jumped in to post their own items and it has turned into an online community.

From their page, the couple learned Dolores residents were interested in the store carrying all kinds of pet food and shoes - items they were driving to Cortez to buy.

They also found that many people had fond memories of the building when it was The Outfitter and were excited to see the building occupied again.

The last business to occupy the building was The Flying Pig, a longtime Dolores clothing store that recently moved to 501 Central Ave.