(WWJ) The fourth Sheetz gas station and convenience store opened Tuesday morning in Warren.
"It's an awesome looking building," Al Barber of Sterling Heights told WWJ's Charlie Langton. Good competition."
Approximately 20 people were waiting outside the store when it opened at 8 a.m. Various prizes were given away and customers visiting for the grand opening were receiving free coffee and soda all day.
A bowling alley and nightclub that sat on the site, along Van Dyke Avenue south of 14 Mile Road, were demolished earlier.
“Opening our first store in Warren is especially meaningful for Sheetz. As Michigan’s third-largest city and a cornerstone of the global automotive industry, Warren represents the kind of hardworking, innovative community we’re proud to serve,” said Nick Ruffner, public affairs manager of Sheetz, in a statement. We’re grateful to the local leaders and residents who welcomed us, and we’re thrilled to be part of a city that has helped shape Michigan’s economic engine for generations."
As part of the grand opening, Sheetz executives announced they would donate $2,500 each to the Warren Police and Fire Benevolent Association, Special Olympics Michigan and Forgotten Harvest.
The gas station and store will have about 30 workers.
The first Sheetz gas station opened in Romulus in 2024. The other locations are in New Baltimore and a second location in Romulus.
Construction of new stores is currently underway in Eastpointe, Fraser, Novi, Roseville and Taylor.
Executives say the company remains on track to open 50 to 60 locations and invest $500 million across southeast Michigan over the next five to six years. A store is also planned in East Lansing.