SHELDON—Kwik Star is only a couple of weeks from opening its doors in Sheldon.
Construction is still ongoing on the Wisconsin-based convenience store but most of the work is done, allowing for an opening date to be set.
Kwik Star’s first day in operation is Thursday, Nov. 4, with the doors opening at 5 a.m., according to assistant manager Amanda De Groot.
Kwik Star manager Dane Hanson said everyone is excited for Nov. 4.
“It’s something new and something people around here haven’t seen,” Hanson said. “We are completely new to a lot of people and they are finding out what we are about. It’s exciting.”
The gas station and convenience store will be open 5 a.m.-11 p.m. seven days a week. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9.
Hanson said the week of the ribbon cutting is when the store will have special deals to celebrate the grand opening.
“A lot of sales on food items, produce, hot food,” Hanson said. “Some cents off for a reward card, coffee on sale and sometimes we do free stuff, so keep your eyes open. We will send out fliers around town and really advertise what we are doing throughout that week.”
Kwik Star will offer fresh produce along with coffee and drinks, hot food and different groceries along with servicing as a gas station. The gas it will offer are regular fuel grade of 87 along with E10, E85, diesel and premium diesel. A car wash will be located north of the building.
But before Kwik Star can open the doors, the construction needs to be completed.
The store is at the former Shopko Hometown location at 1501 Park St. The former Shopko building was torn down in the spring and construction on the location began in June.
The building is fully erected and has a roof over its head. The tanks for the gas pumps are in along with the pumps.
“Things have gone smoothly,” Hanson said. “Some of the supply issues we thought might affect us haven’t affected us. That makes it a lot easier. I was a little afraid when the storms hit but everything was good.”
One of the few things the store is waiting for does not involve construction. There are usually two drink machines that contain coffee, soda and more, but Hanson said they still are waiting for one of the machines.
“We are hoping, best case, that we will have them all,” he said. “We will still have one of the machines but we might just have one. It offers a little bit of everything.”
Hanson and his staff will be fully inside the building by Oct. 28 to set up the racks around the store and to clean.
That’s when things will get real for Hanson.
“The week prior to opening with cleaning and setting up, that’s when it will be very real and will hit home,” he said.
Kwik Star will be the first store in N’West Iowa and another one is planned in Sibley. A Kwik Star opened in LeMars earlier this year and there is another one in Worthington, MN.
Hanson said there are 32 employees for the Sheldon Kwik Star, including himself.
“Things are going well with hiring,” Hanson said. “I want to push for 40, but we are still sitting better than most store initially do.”
Hanson was hoping to have Kwik Star open 24 hours a day but initial staffing has scratched the plan as it will be open 5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily instead.