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Not since the close of their world famous diner has Lima, Pa received this bad of news. The Wawa Store on Baltimore Pike and Rt. 452 will be closing its doors for good tomorrow after 32 years of appreciated service. If you're around, they'll be serving free coffee to mark this historical event. You can read the formal statement below, but it seems the store has decided to go in a different direction. Truthfully, I have been quite fond of this this store, as I grew up with this Wawa for most of the years it was open. When I was old enough to drive, my Father would happily send me out to this store when my Mother realized we were out of milk and eggs. With a new drivers license back then, I never minded getting out of the house for what seemed like a nightly trip.
One thing people don't know about this store was that it was the last Wawa to have a grill. I'm not a Wawa historian, but this was always pointed out to me when I was younger and I have no idea why I remembered that. The cheesesteaks were one thing, but the breakfast sandwiches made-to-order had to be a good reason why people liked this store so much. The grill has long since been gone, but one thing that always remained was that you were almost always guaranteed to bump into someone you knew here– at any hour. It was just that kind of store and I can tell it'll be greatly missed.
Sad to see a Wawa go as I'm a huge fan, but have to say this one was usually pretty dirty looking
ReplyDeletesad times when they took the grills out...
ReplyDeleteNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AND NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NO NO NO NO NO
ReplyDeleteBooo. Now where are the Kids and I going to get our post-YMCA slushies?
ReplyDeleteThis Wawa had major traffic issues because not enough of the customers there properly used 452 to exit after shopping there. People "inviting" themselves into the traffic on rt 1, often cutting across multiple lanes, interfering with the orderly flow of traffic.
ReplyDeleteI do feel very badly for the people in this neighborhood who are losing the accessibility of having a local Wawa. Maybe a Turkey Hill or another store will occupy the location and properly route their customer traffic.
Why doesn't Wawa buy the BP next door and turn it into a super Wawa?
ReplyDeleteThat would be pretty amazing.
DeleteThe no town center folks would go haywire again.
DeleteF**k the "town center", tear down the mall or renovate it. That intersection is already congested enough, plus I'd rather have something other than a "place to buy things", brick and mortar stores are not going to be around much longer.
DeleteArent they going to rebuild in area closer to mall-heard they purchased some property
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad... This was the First WaWa I ever went to-- I can remeber spending long hours there as a kid playing Pac-Man and then later Super Pac-Man. Dirty or not-- I'll miss it.
ReplyDeleteThis would never happen in Media Borough. Before they closed the doors someone would force them to sign an agreement stating their commitment to open two other locations and sell merchandise from faraway places, at a premium.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best times in my life were spent stopping at this WAWA. Many memories and friends were made here. Bought my last Green tea this afternoon and enjoying it as I type.
ReplyDeleteWawa should buy a chunk of the town center that's coming and put a super Wawa there.
ReplyDeleteWawa could buy then entire Franklin Mint property without sweating. Wish they'd buy the BP and open a Super Wawa. The current store was a dump. Didn't even have selection comparable to other Wawas.
ReplyDeleteThen again, Middletown Township and the borough are stuck in rejecting progress that why would a business want to open up in either place? All you get are shakedowns from politicians and complaining from neighbors. I'm ready to put the For Sale sign on my lawn and head to West Chester.
There is a thing called Zoning friend..."rejecting progress" you say?...how about the 15 year+ serious increasing traffic issue in/ via that local. Put your sale sign up and get out of the county
ReplyDeleteThe Franklin mint developers already have some type of agreement w/WAWA Mr. West Chester since you have no clue on facts. I believe the Lima store is one WAWA didn't own and had rented all these years. The grass isn't greener but at least Middletown listens to their taxpaying residents (NO CITY!) and follows our zoning laws w/o cowing down to out of town developers and falling for their their fibs so sake of a buck. WAWA pulled the application on superstore for the borough relating to traffic issues, not your politicians. We have many fine business in Middletown such as the Rothman Institute....not rows of nail salons, pizza joints and excess banks mashed in a .75 mile town. That's not what Middletown Township is about friend.
Instead of wasting your gibberish here, try going to your town's council meeting sometime and learn something.
I agree with the person before me,West Chester ain't that great either [I work for QVC] as for the Lima Wawa,I was a loyal patron for 20 years from 1980,my own sister worked there in the mid-80's,however,in March,2001,I went in one Friday night for a tuna hoagie,the girl working the grill said they had none and said she'd make a cheesteak,while waiting for it,I hung around the candy aisle,low and behold the same girl accused me of stealing a candy bar,when I denied it,they had me empty my pockets,she said I must have put it back on the shelf,I told them I had been coming in here for 20 years but they didn't want to hear it,I left and never entered that Lima Wawa again,in fact,I should have written a nasty letter to Dick Wood but did not......good riddance...
ReplyDeleteOnly started visiting the Wawa on a regular basis recently. I have to say that I found the service here to be far superior to any other Wawa I've visited. I am sad to see this one go.
ReplyDeleteI miss the Eckerd next door which closed way back in 2000. If I'm not mistaken, it opened as the independent drugstore "Lima Pharmacy" around 1964, long before Wawa opened next door. Then Thrift Drug bought it in 1992, and Eckerd swallowed the Thrift Drug chain in 1997. It's a shame this Eckerd closed and never ended up as Rite Aid. But the CVS across the street is much bigger anyway. Hopefully a Wine & Spirits can open in both the former Wawa and Eckerd spaces.
ReplyDeleteAh Middletown. A town full of retirement communities, open spaces overgrown with weeds, and one big empty mall. Orther towns should be so lucky..."friend".
ReplyDeleteF**k the "town center", tear down the mall or renovate it. That intersection is already congested enough, plus I'd rather have something other than a "place to buy things", brick and mortar stores are not going to be around much longer.
Delete