Wanamakers General Store has received a facelift. The store, owned and operated by business partners Arian Hungaski and Kyra Hendricks, will be celebrating a grand opening May 3.

A new and improved deli is now stationed in the back of the store to keep up with the demand for the store's popular sandwiches and wraps.

The celebration will feature food, a history scavenger hunt and surprises.

While the renovations went relatively smoothly, the transition to this day was anything but.

Arian Hungaski needed help. She and husband, Tim, had been going 24/7 to make their dream work.

But the store, located at 8888 Kings Highway, Kempton, was outgrowing its tiny deli space.

"Our lunch rush, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., was frenzied," Arian said. "Preparing a sandwich for a customer on our small 4-foot counter space was becoming a contact sport."

The new deli is spacious enough for the three employees to serve customers.

"I stood in the new deli and spun around," Arian Hungaski said. "It felt great not to bump into anything or anyone."

Three years ago, Kyra Hendricks, then manager, became a partner in the daily operation of the store.

Hendricks, a Kempton native, moved back from the Philadelphia area so she and her son could be closer to home, family and fresh air.

"This job appealed to me for so many reasons," Hendricks said. "I can be near my son. I wouldn't have that connection if I had an hour commute."

Hendricks has experience in personal training and nutrition.

"I liked the whole food and healthy approach Arian was taking with the store."

Hungaski and Hendricks admit it is tough to be a mom and work.

"There aren't enough hours in the day to do both effectively," Hungaski said. "You become overwhelmed with all the demands."

The two women support each other through the tough days.

Hungaski and Hendricks are willing to make the necessary sacrifices.

Both came from families that owned small businesses, but neither really had business experience.

The decision to expand the deli came with the numbers and the customers.

People were buying a lot of sandwiches and they were coming back for more.

"We plugged in the numbers and were able to see where the store was growing," Hungaski said. "And it was the sandwiches."

The menu includes sandwiches, wraps and hoagies.

There are fresh green salads, cold sides including macaroni and potato salad and the perennial kids' favorite, PB&J.

Wanamakers retains its old-style, general store feel.

"You can still purchase a range of items from penny candy to fly paper to trail mix," Hungaski said. Hendricks agreed.

"[There's a mixture of the old and the new] from organic bulk items to canning supplies to deli wraps."

In addition to deli items and groceries, Wanamakers sells consignment items from local artisans.

Among them are Kathy Miller who creates greeting cards, photo-themed items and rugs.

Jeff Dietrich throws pottery and Denny Kutz provides one-of-a-kind wooden bowls.

"We do it for the beauty and community aspect of the store," Hungaski said. "I love how all the pieces make the old shelves sing."

And the store is a community gathering place. Each morning, Monday through Friday, a group of three men, affectionately dubbed "The Morning Daves" (each has David as their first name), come in grab coffee and chat a bit about the day ahead.

The men like so many regulars, come to the store to share and keep up with the local news.

Clark Mantz of New Tripoli, a regular for many years, has a special connection to the store.

His field holds the Wanamakers General Store sign on Toute 143 across from Northwestern Medical Center.

"It's nice to come here and get sandwiches," Mantz said. "I don't have to order, they know exactly what I want."

Mantz, assistant fire chief at Lynnport, recalls the time when the Lynnport General Store closed.

"The locals really missed it," he said. "Wanamakers is really special. It's amazing that you can get people to come in here.

"It's out in the middle of nowhere and people stop in if they're going to Leaser Lake or on their way to Hawk Mountain."

Brian Dierks, Kempton, a relative newcomer to the area, said he has been coming to the store for about three years.

One of the biggest draws for Dierks is the "convenience of the store."

"I can get what ever I need for that day," he said. "Today it's milk."

The store also produces job opportunities.

The deli renovations were done by local craftsmen including contractor Scott Dietrich, electrician David Wright and L&M Plumbing.

They all worked to maintain the original structure and to create the new space in the back of the store.

The store, located in the village of Wanamakers, has been in business since the 1880s.

"Although there's records of it being in business earlier than the date painted on the side," Hungaski said.

The store has only had five owners in its nearly 130-year history.

Elias Hoppes bought the building in 1886. His son-in-law Irwin Reinhart then operated the store for 74 years.

Debbie and David Bond owned the store for 25 years before selling the store to the Hungaski family.

Hungaski and Hendricks have operated the store for the last seven years.

Both worked at the store as teens when the Bond family owned the store.

"We're having a historical scavenger hunt at our opening," Hungaski said. "People can learn more about the history, not just of our store, but of the whole area."

Wanamakers is also a part of the Berks County Best Kept Secret Tour, which features business locations throughout Berks and the tip of Lehigh counties.

"This place is a hub," Hendricks said. "It's a life force for the community because of what it offers peoplewhat they give and what they take away."