A&B Market, a new convenience store, is set to debut Aug. 15 in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Bobby Ellison and his wife, Armi, co-own the business, which is located in a 2,500-square-foot leased space in the former Dingle Hardware building at 402 E. Sherman.

Ellison is originally from Coeur d’Alene and previously owned Speed Stop Auto Repair, and Armi Ellison owns her own photography studio in  nearby Dalton Gardens.

“Like a lot of people, we come into town for summer parades and to walk around and explore the gift shops,” Ellison says. “One day, we realized the nearest convenience store was blocks away, so we decided to open our own, a bit closer.”

In addition to grocery and small household items, Ellison says the store also will sell growlers or crowlers of local beers, as well as locally sourced deluxe hotdogs with up to 10 different topping options.

“We’re both beer drinkers, so selling local beer was definitely something we wanted to do,” he says. “The hotdogs just seemed like a different kind of idea, something you don’t see a whole lot of here.”

Next year, Ellison says he hopes to convert a large storage area at the back of the store into a small café.