“Life is Better at the Lake” is one of the taglines for the newly renovated Bighorn Crossing, set to reopen in mid-June. Its previous owners Marty and Cindy Neff sold the store on 847 Frontage Road to Mineral County native Tony Ruse and his partner Micky Kim, who have since been renovating it with the hopes of turning it into more of a visitor center along with still offering elevated convenience food.
“We changed everything- replaced the flooring, walls, ceiling, added another bathroom, redid the kitchen. Basically, we brought it up to code,” says The Bighorn Crossing Owner Tony Ruse.
He adds that they are grateful for the help and advice of the Neffs, who themselves had some challenges when they took over the lease three years’ prior. The Neffs did their own upgrades to the store and changed the name from Buffalo Stop to Bighorn Crossing, and now Ruse and Kim want to take it one step further.
“Walker Lake is such a great resource and it’s beautiful. I think it’s the most beautiful spot between Vegas and Reno,” Ruse says, adding that after they open, they’d like to offer kayak and kite rentals down the line. The new owners also hope to eventually bring in food trucks, live music, and host a once-a-month dinner with a prefix menu, complete with wine and views of the lake.
“It’s all about the lake,” Ruse says. “I’ve had friends pass through here and come upon Walker Lake and say, ‘I didn’t realize it was this beautiful’. We have wind, camping, barbequing, and want to offer music and a flea market. We’ve been negotiating with other nearby towns to help promote the lake, too.”
Being new to Mineral County, co-owner Micky Kim sees the opportunity the lake provides as well.
“For me it’s about the experience of Walker Lake and offering merchandise highlighting it. I want people to learn about the lake,” Kim adds. What surprised me about this place is that there is only one store. My background is in brand strategy, and we already have brochures about the wildlife, plants, and all that Walker Lake has to offer,” Kim says.
The owners moved to Walker Lake last June and soon got to work on upgrading the building as Ruse relocates back to the place where he’s from.
“I used to live in Hawthorne and graduated from MCHS in 1986,” Ruse says, mentioning that he used to be a radio deejay in Reno and played music at Joe’s and El Capitan. He met Kim and they spent some time in Seoul, South Korea for a while before moving to Las Vegas.
“Thirty years later I’m back,” Ruse says. When he graduated high school, he remembers Bighorn Crossing being called Buffalo Stop, but Bighorn Crossing is much more appropriate since there aren’t any buffalo in Nevada.
“I’ve always been fond of this area,” adds Ruse. “Seoul and Vegas are busy and crowded, there is so much open space here. The moon rises at night, the sun rises in the morning, and watching the different weather sweeping across the lake is stunning.
“And the people of Walker Lake are so nice. It’s a little bit harder here but the people in Walker Lake have specifically chosen to live here, they love it here and are fiercely proud of it.”
He mentions that years ago one of his good friends (who has since passed away) asked Ruse to help him start a convenience store at Pyramid Lake and now it is a thriving recreational area and economic driver for the tribe.
“I’ve taken some things I learned from my Paiute friends to apply to this venture. They did take care of [Pyramid] Lake and I do think it is kind of weird that I’m doing it again,” Ruse smiles.
As far as the food goes, Kim says that they plan on offering basic items like ham and cheese bagels, burgers, and salads. Regular convenience food, but elevated. They’ll also have an espresso machine and tea. Kim graduated from the Pastry Academy in Las Vegas, but the owners want to start simply and see how it evolves, then cater to what the customers want.
“We really want to serve the community and want to do everything, but don’t want to step on anyone else’s toes,” Ruse says.
It all really comes back to the lake, though.
“We’re here for the lake and we really appreciate the role we can play in helping this area grow. People can come into the store, there will be T-shirts for sale and an area about what’s been happening at Walker Lake,” Ruse says.
“This lake just hasn’t gotten the love that it deserves. When fishing went away, so did the attention of it and everyone got the idea that the lake is drying up. But it’s filling up now, it’s going to be a good summer, and I feel like we have a unique opportunity and obligation to take care of it.”
For more information about The Bighorn Crossing and updates about its grand opening, find them on Facebook at facebook.com/thebighorncrossing or on Instagram @thebighorncrossing.
