Drury opening Smal-Mart

A grand opening will be held 4-7 p.m. Feb. 28 for the Smal-Mart convenience store on the Drury University Campus. Plans for the business, which is operated by the school's Students in Free Enterprise team, began in June 2000, and it opened for business Jan. 31, 2001.

"We saw a need on campus for a place to grab snacks and the essentials without having to go far. There are also many Drury students who do not have transportation, and Smal-Mart is a convenient place to get the necessities," said Sarah Torpey, assistant manager of the store, in a news release.

The entire Drury SIFE team is responsible for working in the store, and the team's efforts are coordinated by team members Torpey and Rob Wilson. It is designed to allow the students to gain practical experience that's applicable in the business world, Torpey added.

Smal-Mart is open 5 p.m.-midnight every day, and proceeds from the business will fund projects coordinated by the SIFE team to educate the community about free enterprise.