Hungry for hoagies? Wawa opens first Roanoke-area location in Salem.
The select few entered Wawa's new location in Salem, and first in the Roanoke Valley, on Wednesday donning old-school Kelly green Philadelphia Eagles jerseys.
The roughly 150 people in attendance at the Taste of Wawa soft opening were there to celebrate the store that is quintessentially Philly, whether they were from there or not. Patrons donning Eagles and Phillies merchandise poured into the store at exactly 11:30 a.m., as Justin Bieber’s “Baby” blared on temporary speakers.
Salem Mayor Renée Turk wrapped herself in a long, black, button-down shirt, a chef’s hat and plastic gloves — an employee’s uniform — and produced the ceremonial first hoagie. Then, a Wawa official named her an honorary Philadelphian.
The outside of the new Wawa location in Salem is pictured.
Earl Supple hails from Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, just northwest of Philadelphia. He walked into the Wawa clad in a No. 42 Eagles throwback jersey from the 1980s.
“That was intentional,” Supple said. “I want to represent Philadelphia. Wawa was founded in the Philadelphia area, so I wanted to go with the Eagles’ old-school — not the new — uniforms, just because I had been up there a long time.”
Earl Supple is a Pennsylvania native who drove from Smith Mountain Lake to attend the Taste of Wawa soft opening event on Wednesday.
Supple spent 35 years working as a public defender in Allentown, Pennsylvania. During that time, he purchased plenty of hoagies and soft pretzels for lunch. Supple endured a trip from near Smith Mountain Lake to get to the store.
“Even though I’m an hour away, it’s worth it,” he said.
The event came in advance of Thursday’s grand opening at 1941 West Main St.
A gas pump is seen outside the new Wawa location in Salem.
During her remarks, Kim Dowgielewicz, Wawa’s director of store operations, said the company is planning to open its first store in Daleville at 49 Glebe Road, and second in Lynchburg, at 2731 Wards Road, before the end of the year. She also said a planned Roanoke location at 2843 Orange Ave. N.E. will start construction before the end of the year and open in 2027. Over the next 10 years, Wawa plans to reach 60 stores along Interstate 81, including one location in Middletown in the northern Shenandoah Valley that will open on Friday.
Kim Dowgielewicz, Wawa's director of store operations, delivers remarks.
Before and during construction, each store requires roughly $7.5 million of investment from the corporation and about 140 contractors and local partners. Each store employs an average of 35 associates.
The new location means Sheetz is not the only Pennsylvania-based gas and convenience store chain in the area. Sheetz, based in Altoona, operates eight locations in the Roanoke Valley, plus more in Franklin and Montgomery counties. Wawa's opening in Salem brings an old Keystone State competitor to a new market, fueling an ongoing debate over which is the superior chain.
So, on Wednesday, Philadelphians and honorary ones alike traversed to Salem to celebrate it. Wally Goose, Wawa’s mascot, roamed around the store, his long neck towering over his out-of-costume counterparts. The customers in attendance submitted online forms, in which they explained their stories about their love of Wawa, why they want it in the area and why they’re excited for the new location. Employees sifted through the hundreds of applications and invited around 150 of them to the event.
Salem Mayor Renée Turk hoists the hoagie she prepared alongside Wally Goose, Wawa's mascot.
“I think as we’re continuing to branch out westward, this just seemed like the natural progression to keep going,” Dowgielewicz said. “Customers have been telling us for years, ‘Come west, come west’ — and we’re finally here.”
Sam Mostow (540) 981-3251
