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Convenience chain opens second Tallahassee store
A thunderous countdown signaled the doors were about to swing open for the debut of Wawa’s second store as employees belted out a steady stream of “Welcome to Wawa” greetings.
Located at 1755 Blair Stone Road, on the corner of Miccosukee Road, the 16-pump convenience store was swarmed by residents.
Long lines wrapped the building. Eager customers sampled free coffee in tiny cups, danced to music piping through the outside speakers and waved noise-making clappers.
From young children clinging to their parents to seniors bracing themselves with walking canes, they all enjoyed being able to say they were among the first inside.
Nancy and John Opper arrived at 6:30 a.m. — an hour and half early before the store’s opening. Nancy Opper said she got hooked on Wawa while visiting a Gainesville location.
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She came bearing gifts: Beaded red bracelets that said “Wawa” in white beads and black letters. Opper said she made them for some of the employees she met the day before when coming to store, unaware it hadn’t officially opened yet. Fueled by excitement, she wanted to be the first in line and offer a token of her appreciation.
“It’s so sweet,” said Patricia Garcia, a general manager-in-training who got a bracelet.
Jen Wolf, a Wawa spokesperson, gushed over the gesture and said “this is not your average gas station” for people willing to stand in line before sunrise and offer kind-hearted gifts.
“It’s so cool,” she said. “That just speaks volumes of our customers and that connection here in Tallahassee.”
Another customer, Nancy Wenhold, stood in line not knowing Friday was the grand opening. She was simply craving a pretzel and said the lively atmosphere was an unexpected bonus.
“I’m 80 years old and I’ve still got a little oomph in me,” she joked, making a quip considering she was one of the loudest and most actives ones in line. “So, I’m enjoying every stinking minute of it.”
Further back in line, Gakiera Ash was grooving and dancing with her three children who came to be among the first in the store before they headed to school.
“We live (nearby), and we had the opportunity to watch Wawa be built from the ground up,” she said. “We made it a goal to be some of the first shoppers, and so we’re so excited today.”
When asked, her 10-year-old son, Messiah Ash, didn’t hesitate to say who he was most excited to see: Wally Goose, Wawa’s friendly mascot.
Growth of Wawa and C-stores in the capital city
Wawa debuted its first Tallahassee store in November in grand fashion as residents braved long lines that stretched around the building to be among the first to go inside. The inaugural store opened at Hartsfield Road and Capital Circle Northwest.
Previous coverage:The wait is over: Wawa to open first Tallahassee location Nov. 20
Nancy Dulaney, director of store operations at Wawa, said the community response to the inaugural store was “unbelievable.”
“Now this second store was non-stop talk,” she said. “It’s a really, really exciting moment for us, and being in this location, this is where we did the groundbreaking. So we are ready to go, and the community is excited.”
The new Tallahassee location distributed free Wawa shirts to the first 100 customers. Other freebies included coffee and samples of Wawa’s limited-time coffee-flavored caramel cream.
Free coffee of any size will be offered now through Feb. 9. Companywide, Wawa is offering a 1-2-3 deal as part of its rewards program that includes $1 hot coffee, $2 iced coffee and $3 Monster Energy Drinks now through Feb. 16.
The Pennsylvania-based company plans to open 20 stores throughout Florida’s Panhandle, including four to six sites in Tallahassee over the next five to eight years. Each new store is slated to have about 35 employees.
Dulaney was hesitant to say which location would be the next to debut in Tallahassee but did say it would take place sometime in the near future.
The Blair Stone and Miccosukee location has 45 employees, said General Manager Devin Bloodsworth. He’s been an employee at Wawa for 15 years but this was his first time opening a store as the general manager.
“It’s been a great new experience. Coming in, we got to interview probably about 400 people,” he said. “We spent about five weeks training everybody, and we just got the right team. Everybody’s excited, everybody’s engaged and ready to go, and I’m ready to see people grow their careers with us.”
Wawa has had hit record growth as it’s slated to open 90 new stores this year.
In Tallahassee, there’s been a surge in convenience stores, also known as C-stores, in recent years:
- Cumberland Farms on North Monroe Street opened in May 2023.
- SunStop on Capital Circle Northeast opened three years ago and other locations are slated for Thomasville and Ox Bottom roads and Blair Stone Road and Apalachee Parkway.
- And on the south side, a locally owned Skyline Express opened at Orange Avenue and Springhill Road.
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
Convenience chain expands in Tallahassee with new location
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convenience store, Tallahassee, new location, store opening, convenience chain, second store, local news, business expansion
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