In 1981, Christopher “Skip” Caruso drove his car from New Jersey nonstop across America until it broke down in Fallon, Nevada. To scrape together money to get back on the road to California, he got hired as a ranch hand for George Frey. He quickly fell in love with the region and opened Skip’s Mini 
Market in 1988.

Skip noticed there was a lack of quality mini markets in the region, something he enjoyed in the Delicatessens of New Jersey. After working for George Frey for 6 years, Skip asked the man to help open a loan for a new convenience store. Frey happily agreed, and SKIP’S MINI MARKET GROCERY AND LIQUOR was up and running.

in 1991, Skip married the local beauty, Winnie Winchester, who became his business partner and chief strategist, bringing in a gas pump and the famous SKIP’S SELECT membership program.

Skip’s eldest son, Christopher Carmine Caruso Jr. took over general operations in 2025. With bold visions of expansion, Junior contracted Algernon, a prestigious Design studio out of New York run by Ezra Hyde. Junior demanded to work with Hyde himself, with a bold rebrand and collaboration with GUCCI© brought to fruition.

Junior and Hyde have transformed SKIP’S into a brand that is so much more than a Mini Mart, serving as a cultural hub for the community of Fallon. the SKIP’S DAWG has endured as iconic symbol of the Lahontan Valley