MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Many Marines go to the Jet Mart on a daily basis. The convenience store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which offers busy servicemembers and other personnel on the air station service anytime.

The Jet Mart is currently undergoing construction to expand and refurbish its existing building. Tentatively scheduled for completion in February, the new and improved Jet Mart will provide its customers with more food and beverage selections, faster service and a new and improved store.

"Our main purpose is to serve our Marines and fellow patriots," said John Poggemeyer, manager, Jet Mart. "Since our sales were approaching $2,000 for each square foot, we knew it was time to expand."

Construction was begun on the new addition to the Jet Mart in February, and the two buildings are scheduled to be blended into the new Jet Mart Oct. 11.

"When the new addition is added, we will vacate everything from the existing Jet Mart and move it into the new building," explained Poggemeyer, a Vista, Calif., native. "We will also open up a temporary trailer where customers can purchase wine and spirits until the refurbishing is complete."

The Jet Mart will also be renamed the Marine Mart, in an effort to be uniform with all of the Marine Corps bases.

According to Poggemeyer, the renaming decision was made on a global level, and the Marine Corps is implementing the name changes in a phasing process.

Once the new Jet Mart is complete, servicemembers and other personnel on the air station can look forward to many new features and advantages.

"Right now, we plan to have cases of cold beer, a food bar, a Krispy Krème stand, a larger coffee bar and a soda fountain," said Ernie Hamilton, assistant manager, Jet Mart. "It's going to be like a 7-11 in here once everything is completed."

Currently, most of the beer is not cold, but once the new Jet Mart opens up, customers can choose their drinks from rows of refrigerated cases.

The new food bar will have items like hot nachos, fresh hot dogs, hot chili soup, egg rolls and other fast foods. The coffee bar will still offer its existing Starbucks coffees, but will have in addition, tea, cappuccinos, hot chocolate and more choices. The Krispy Krème stand will make fresh donuts available to sweet-toothed customers, seven days a week.

"We will also have restrooms for both males and females (before, customers had to use the single bathroom in back of the store), six registers versus the four we have, and basically a larger selection of everything. When we become a bigger store, we will be able to carry more pallets and variety of goods to please our customers, " said Hamilton, a San Diego, Calif., native.

To please its customers even more, the new Jet Mart will also increase parking.

"In the contractor plans, there are plans to create twenty more parking spaces," said Poggemeyer. "Our goal is to increase our customer service and make everything a greater convenience to our shoppers."

For Marines like Pfc. Evan Callahan, and other Jet Mart customers, they could not be happier for the enhanced convenience store.

"I shop here everyday and I cannot wait to see what the new Jet Mart will be like," said Callahan, an air traffic control communications technician, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron. "I think it will definitely benefit all the Marines here."