Patrick Chasse, like the small variety store near the Hooksett border that bears his name, is a survivor.

Although his store has been a literal “last stop” for cars headed out of town for some 40 years, the newly re-opened Chasse Variety on High Street almost became history this year. The 85-year-old Chasse said that after surviving a series of apparently unenthusiastic owners, the store he started in the 1960s stood vacant for about two years and came dangerously close to losing the “grandfathered” status that allows it to be open for business in the rural residential area.

But Chasse, who has survived a bout of cancer and a near-fatal bulldozer roll-over accident, said he still has hope for the family business he started in 1968 and later rebuilt in 1996 after the original store was destroyed in a fire. As deliverymen filled the once-empty store shelves, he said he is looking forward to selling the store in preparation for his final project.

Chasse, a professional mason for the past 60 years, said he plans to start a free school for masonry on his nearby property to pass on the lifetime of skills he’s learned. One of his trademark New England fireplaces adorns the store’s interior today, and he has built countless hundreds of others in many homes across the region over the past six decades.

“The house and the next lot, I bought that for $100 down and $10 a month back in 1959,” he said. “Try finding a deal like that now. I have been planning a school there for four years, free, for anyone 12 and up to come learn masonry. It is hard work. Not many people know how to do that anymore. That is something I want to do before I say ‘goodbye,’ you know.”

For the coming months, Chasse said he will be assisted in the store with daughter Yvonne while he awaits an opportunity to sell the store, but he admitted that he will also be busy answering scores of calls from the customers who continue to request more work from the longtime mason. As the word spreads about the store’s return, Yvonne and her father said they’re keeping busy greeting their returning store customers and letting people know that Chasse Variety is back.

“Due to what’s happened, we didn’t want to lease it out again, and this type of work isn’t for everyone,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of people coming in to shake my dad’s hand, and they all say ‘it’s good to see you back.’ It’s a nice feeling.”