Local residents and travelers along Rt. 119 in southern Indiana County today will have one less spot to stock up on convenience items and to fuel up on gasoline, coffee and sandwiches.
Officials with the Sheetz convenience chain earlier this week confirmed plans to permanently shutter its store in the village of Black Lick, beginning at 9 a.m. today. The store had been in business at Rt. 119 and Main Street for more than 19 years.
Travis Sheetz, vice president of regional operations for the Altoona-based chain, said it no longer made financial sense for the company to operate the Black Lick store, which has been overshadowed by the success of a larger Sheetz store that opened a few years ago about eight miles north, near Homer City. The latter store, at Rt. 119 and Lucerne Road, offers more elaborate features, such as an espresso bar.
Not far to the south and west, Sheetz continues to operate another of its convenience stores in downtown Blairsville, at Rt. 217 (Walnut Street) and Old Rt. 22 (Market Street).
"The Homer City store is doing well," Sheetz said. "It had an impact." But, "We just have not seen growth at the Black Lick store."
He said limitations at the Black Lick site included lack of room to expand parking for customers.
According to Sheetz, no other area store closings are planned. He said the 20 employees who staffed the Black Lick store will be placed in other Sheetz locations.
Sheetz indicated the company eventually will look to pull up stakes at the closed Black Lick site. "There are lots of things we have to do to clear up the property," he said, noting the site includes fuel storage tanks for the store's gasoline pumps.
Despite the closure of that site, Sheetz said Indiana County remains a strong market for the convenience chain.
Other Sheetz sites in the county include one in Clymer and three in Indiana.
The company operates nearly 200 stores in Pennsylvania and about 350 overall in multiple states including Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.
Although there are no concrete plans for specific store openings, Sheetz said the company continually looks for potential new sites in Central and Western Pennsylvania.
