Dandy Mini Marts has added two more convenience stores with the acquisition of Aces & Eights General Store.
“Our goal is to maintain the welcoming atmosphere and quality experience customers have come to know and trust, while exploring opportunities to enhance the locations and their offerings in the future,” Dandy Vice President of Food Service and Merchandising Dyson B. Williams said in a news release shared with CSP Thursday. “ We are also excited to welcome the Aces & Eights employees to the Dandy family and look forward to working alongside them.”
Based in Sayre, Pennsylvania, Dandy is a family-owned chain of convenience stores offering specialty pizzas and Nashville sandwiches and wings. CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count lists Dandy with 63 stores and No. 115 on the list.
The Aces & Eights stores are in Elmira, New York, and Mansfield, Pennsylvania.
Dandy values strong community connections and the importance of providing quality service to its customers, Williams said.
“We are honored to continue the legacy the Cleary family has built with Aces & Eights General Stores,” he said.
In 1963, Michael Cleary Sr. founded regional pizza chain Pudgie’s, David Cleary, president of MP Cleary Inc., Elmira, New York, told CSP in 2020. The company’s focus has been on foodservice, and it opened drive-thru windows and delivery service in 2002. But in 2002, the company opened its first Aces & Eights store in Mansfield. After trying for several years to buy four parcels of land to build a second c-store, in 2018, Cleary and his brother and business partner Robert Cleary, purchased the properties with the help of a New York state development grant.
“The Cleary family has built a reputation for hard work, integrity and community involvement through both Aces & Eights and Pudgie’s Pizza,” Williams said. “We are proud to continue that tradition and look forward to serving the community for many years to come.”
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