A Philadelphia-based convenience store with a cult-like following is coming to Gainesville next year.
Wawa announced Tuesday that it will begin construction on its first stores in Gainesville, said Wawa’s public relations manager Lori Bruce.
By 2021, five Wawa locations will be open across Gainesville. The first two stores — at 1614 W. University Ave. and 2372 SW Archer Road — are scheduled to open in April 2020, she said.
“We are just thrilled and delighted to kick off our plans,” Bruce said.
Plans for Wawa’s expansion to Gainesville have been underway as recently as March 2018. As of now, the closest Wawa store is located in Ocala.
The West University Avenue location will be Wawa’s first store without gas pumps in Florida.
Wawa will be opening two more stores with gas pumps at 4322 SW Archer Road and 1007 East University Ave. between summer and early fall 2020.
A fifth site is also scheduled to open in place of the former Rooms To Go spot at 2305 NW 13th St. in 2021, Bruce said.
Pryce Williams, an 18-year-old business administration freshman at UF, said Wawa was his go-to spot for a late night snack back home in Delray Beach.
He said he’s looking forward to having his beloved Wawa Sourdough Melt here in Gainesville.
“Having open 24 hours hot food, that was always nice. And then here, you don’t really have something like that,” said Williams. “I feel like it’d be kind of a spot.”
Contact Alex DeLuca at adeluca@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @AlexLDeLuca.
City and Wawa officials hoist a ceremonial shovel of dirt during the groundbreaking ceremony for one of five Wawa locations opening up in Gainesville in the next year.
