SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The 60th Sheetz in West Virginia officially opened its doors Thursday morning during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Kanawha County.
The convenience store and gas station is located on MacCorkle Avenue in South Charleston near Thomas Memorial Hospital.
“I’m overwhelmed by the love and the support in the community,” said Nic Ridenhour, the store manager, whose been with the company for nine years.
Ridenhour began his career with Sheetz in Richmond, Va. before moving to West Virginia to eventually open the South Charleston store Thursday.
“My goal everyday is to make somebody feel like it’s their birthday, so when a customer walks into the store I want them to feel like they’re my best friend, it’s their birthday and I’m celebrating them,” he said. “I’m not just giving them a shopping experience, but a life experience.”
The store has been hiring and training employees for approximately four months, Ridenhour said, following the their ground breaking ceremony earlier this year.
Linda Ridenhour, Nic’s mother, was first in the line of customers that stretched along the side of the new building. She traveled from Tampa, Florida to support her son’s success.
“I just had to come down to celebrate this,” she said. “He spent many hours bringing this all together and it’s just a very exciting time.”
Ridenhour said she got to the front of the store at 9:30 a.m. — just over an hour before South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens and store employees cut the ribbon at 11 a.m.
Hurley Randolph, a South Charleston resident, was toward the end of the line. He said he was excited to see a Sheetz open up just around the block from him.
“I was excited because it was right next door,” said Randolph, eager to walk inside to order food. “Probably a breakfast item or something to eat. The food is really good.”
As well as other food items, the store features both an eating area and a self-serve ice cream bar including 15 different toppings. There is also 10 different flavors of frozen beverages.
“For some people, they might not see any sort of positive in their life,” said Ridenhour about their goal to provide quality customer service. “If I can come in here and even for like a brief second of time I can give them a smile or something that they can take with them out the door into the community and into Charleston, Huntington and the surrounding areas, that’s a win.”
During the ceremony, Sheetz presented a $2,500 check to the Special Olympics of West Virginia.