AVOCA — A longtime convenience store franchisee in Avoca is facing eviction following a dispute with the corporate owners of Convenient Food Mart.
Eric Taffera and his family have owned Convenient Food Mart franchises — five at one time — in the region for decades. He’s the sole franchise owner of the one at 610 Main St., which includes an attached beer store Taffera established more than a decade ago.
Taffera, 47, has invested hundreds of thousands in the business and has operated it as a family friendly place residents frequent to pick their daily newspaper, lottery tickets, fresh hoagies, and more.
“Convenient has been a very big part of my family’s life for decades. It’s been 80% of my life. I’ve been behind these counters since I was nine working with my grandfather. We have a tremendous business that has been based on customer relations,” Taffera said. “I’m in a position where someone is trying to take that out from under me and leave me with nothing.”
Eric Taffera, franchise owner of Convenient Food Mart in Avoca, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Taffera faces an eviction hearing 11:30 a.m. Jan. 22 in front of Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz in her Pittston courtroom.
The case against Taffera Enterprises Inc. was filed by CF Marts of PA of Clarks Summit, a subsidiary of Shiv of PA LLC, which purchased 35 convenience stores and gas stations, including Convenient Food Mart, from the Gilchrist family in September 2024 for $22.7 million.
Shiv of PA LLC owns the real estate, including the storefront for the beer store, Grey Ghost Beers, which is named after Taffera’s dogs.
Efforts to reach the company’s attorney Terrence J. McDonald of Dunmore were not successful.
Due to the litigation, Taffera has put tarps over the Convenient Food Mart signs on the property to avoid any possible trademark infringement claims as the legal battle plays out.
The covered signs of the Convenient Food Mart in Avoca on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Taffera said he’s never had a franchise violation in all his years in business and believes the eviction attempt is the result of a disagreement over him refusing to operate the business outside the rules of the franchise agreement, such as the way certain fees are collected.
He said the owners are claiming he failed to sign a new lease by the deadline, which is in violation of the franchise agreement. Taffera said he always was up to date on signing lease renewals, but the company kept delaying the process and any delay was not his fault.
“I have no violations. My payments are not late. My store is clean. I have documentation. I have character witnesses. They never gave me a lease and now I don’t have a lease and they are using that as the reason why I violated my franchise agreement and why they are evicting me,” Taffera said. “My future will be decided next week whether I can operate my business as I have for 39 years or it will be stolen from me.”
The covered signs of the Convenient Food Mart in Avoca on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Convenient Food Mart in Avoca on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Eric Taffera, franchise owner of Convenient Food Mart in Avoca, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Convenient Food Mart in Avoca on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Eric Taffera, franchise owner of Convenient Food Mart in Avoca, in front of a covered sign on his business, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The covered signs of the Convenient Food Mart in Avoca on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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The covered signs of the Convenient Food Mart in Avoca on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)