POCATELLO — The Country Corner store on Bannock Highway held a Christmas celebration on Dec. 21 to bring the community together.

Sanju Choudhury, owner of the store, said the event had all sorts of Christmas decorations and the whole neighborhood was invited.

“We had Santa Claus and hot dogs and hot chocolate,” he said. “At Christmastime, we have all sorts of different décor.”

Choudhury said in addition to the Christmas tree and other decorations, a friend of his brought a wooden wagon that was decorated with lights and placed in front of the store.

“He brought the wagon all decorated with lights,” he said. “It looked fabulous in front of the store.”

Choudhury said he has owned the store since June of last year, but it has been around for 25 years. During that time, he has always tried to find a way to bring the community together.

“In January, we have a lot of 50 percent off sales,” he said. “We know it’s a slow month. In February, we’ll have Valentine’s decorations. We are trying to see what we can do to bring the community together.”

Choudhury said the store offers a full line of groceries. They have spices from India, China, Taiwan and Mexico. Customers can even get a pizza if they come in on their way home from work.

“We started to carry biscuits and gravy,” he said. “Anything my neighborhood likes, we have it.”

Choudhury said the décor inside the store has also changed since he took ownership.

“We have a huge canopy made of lumber,” he said. “We have décor from India and all kinds of antique stuff in the store.”

Choudhury said his favorite part of owning Country Corner is the people he meets. He believes that everyone who walks in the store deserves the same respect and friendly service.

“Everyone knows me and they know I love people,” he said. “You can’t own a business without loving your client.”

Choudhury said he knows many of his customers by name. One is a man in his 90s who comes in twice a day to make sure the merchandise looks good on the shelves.

“He just does it by himself,” he said. “That makes me feel so emotional.”

Choudhury encourages everyone to come to Country Corner and see what they have. They are always adding new products.

“We want the community to come and look at the store and let me know what they want and what we can do to make it better,” he said.

Country Corner is located at 6161 Bannock Highway. It is typically open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.