Owners Tom and Joanne Bislow (that's where the "TJ" comes from) started out in another profession, then bought an empty building in downtown Mahtowa (once the Mahtowa Co-Op) and started a grocery store that soon grew into TJ's Country Corner.

Tom and Joanne are fans of great food, cooking and quality ingredients. Tom was always experimenting with recipes, and the ones he liked most were his family's sausage recipes, in which the seasonings are as essential as the lean meats and all fresh ingredients.