Wawa groundbreaking held with timelines announced for new Staunton and Fishersville stores
STAUNTON — City officials, along with community members and representatives of Wawa, Inc., gathered in Staunton Wednesday morning for the groundbreaking ceremony for the city's newest convenience store.
The Staunton location of Wawa, at 1135 Richmond Ave., is one of four planned for the area, with two coming to Waynesboro and another planned for Fishersville. It's all part of a westward expansion in Virginia for the privately held chain that currently has more than 1,100 stores operating in nine states and Washington, D.C.
Throughout the region, Wawa plans to open 30 stores in the next five years and 60 in the next 10 years. Currently there are 110 stores in Virginia.
Wawa is a convenience store and gas station based in Pennsylvania. The stores offer a foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and pizza, an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.
The Staunton location is scheduled to open in the fall.
"It just really shows that businesses are finding Staunton a great place to invest," said Mayor Michele Edwards. "There is a market here that wants Wawa. When people heard Wawa was coming there was across the board excitement."
In addition to Edwards, Vice Mayor Brad Arrowood, City Manager Leslie Beauregard, members of Staunton City Council and the Augusta County Board of Supervisors and invited members of the community were on hand for the event.
According to Alyson Mucha, a public relations representative for Wawa, the Fishersville location at the intersection of Tinkling Spring Road and Goose Creek Road should open by summer. Construction has already begun on that site.
As for Waynesboro, stores are planned at 105 Hopeman Parkway and 150 P. Buckley Moss Drive. Mucha said both sites are under contract and they are working on all of the proper permits. She did not have a timeline on when those may open.
On Wednesday, store officials had a sampling of some of the sandwiches and snacks, as well as coffee, for those attending. The store also donated $2,500 to the Verona-based Blue Ridge Area Food Bank which serves 25 counties and eight cities in Central and Western Virginia.
Sara Mallan with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank said those being served has increased by 15% in the first part of 2025. They now serve 171,000 every month.
"There's no way we're able to serve that many individuals without people like you and Wawa," said Mallan. "It is through those partnerships that we're able to lift up our neighbors."
More: Vista dome car once owned by country music star now part of Virginia Scenic Railway's fleet
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Wawa holds groundbreaking ceremony at new Staunton location
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