By Heather Clower
The Parsons Advocate
There may be a new name advertised on the former Sheetz building in the near future. According to Garet Bishop, chief financial officer and son of business owner Marshall Bishop, they are working on purchasing the property from the landowner and it is under contract, but there is no closing date set to finalize this agreement. “We will be putting in new equipment and evaluating what we need”, he explained.
Bishop informed his father began Bruceton Farm Service in 1974 and has since expanded to sixty eight locations ranging from northern West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, Maryland panhandle, and parts of Ohio. “We have always looked at Parsons as an option, we have a family farm there”, Bishop said. “We are a true West Virginia company and we stay true to our roots”.
When asked about the potential offerings their new endeavor will provide, he made it very clear everything was still in the evaluating and planning stages since the property isn’t even officially purchased yet. Gas, diesel, and kerosene are high on the priority list. “We understand there is a need in the community and we want to fill that void”, Bishop stated. “Because it has all happened so fast, we’re not sure what we can do there with the size of the building and lot. We are evaluating at this time which of our partners will fit there” he answered in regards to potential restaurants. Frequently found within other BFS stations are Little Caesars, Burger King, iHop, Huddle House, Tim Hortons, and Subway. “We like to put food in our stores, but we can’t commit to saying what that will be yet”, he added.
A BFS in our area would offer the typical convenience store items, such as their own coffee and cappuccinos, lottery tickets, tobacco products, alcoholic beverage, coolers with a variety of drinks, and an assortment of sweet and salty snacks. “We will be needing employees and we will be hiring”, Bishop added as they hope to help out the local citizens in that manner as well. When asked how they heard about Sheetz closing, Bishop stated they heard through their supervisors who work for BFS at the Davis and Canaan location. As soon as it was confirmed, they moved quickly to express their interest in taking advantage of the now vacant lot. “Once Sheetz is out we are hoping to move right in trying to minimize downtime as much as possible”, Bishop expressed.
“We are here for the community”, Bishop sincerely said. BFS is hopeful the purchase agreement will be finalized soon so they can help fill the void left by Sheetz closing their doors. Having a new business in our presence, one that was began in West Virginia, would be a great asset to our community. “We can’t operate without the community’s support”, Bishop mentioned, and support is something Tucker County is well known for.
