The locally-owned State Road Deli and Market in Croydon has been in operation for years, and the current owner has been in charge for the past 11. However, the owner fears the threat of a new Wawa less than a mile down the street could change that.
The popular deli is less than a mile from the corner of State Road and Veterans Highway (Route 413) where Wawa is looking to construct one of its stores and sets of gas pumps. The total land between the two parcels that Wawa wants to build on is a little more than two acres, according to Bucks County tax records.
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The developer sought variances for the property at a zoning meeting last month but the hearing was continued.
“This is how I support my family. I’m not trying to get rich,” State Road Deli owner Kristin Potter said on a recent morning before she was pulled away by a customer.
For Potter, the operation of her deli is an important service for the local Bristol Township community. Potter pointed to time when someone breaks their leg or can’t get out of their house, the deli will deliver; when regular customers come in, Potter greets them by name. These types of interactions would cease if a Wawa came into the fold and put the State Road Deli out of business, according to Potter.
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“I would just hate to see them ruin something we work so hard for,” Potter said, referencing the strong customer relations and close relationship between the community and deli.
For Potter, preserving the community and good feelings is the most important thing. The Wawa wouldn’t just hurt Potter’s deli, but other local businesses, including the local Sonoco, tobacco shop, and more, according to Potter.
In addition for worrying about the local economy and her own shop, traffic implications also worry Potter.
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“I think that people in the community really need to voice their opinion and come to [meetings on the project],” Potter said.
A petition has already been used to show the local support of the State Road Deli. According to Potter, in just two days, the document gained more than 300 signatures.
At the end of the interview, as a regular customer entered the store, Potter greeted the patron by name.
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“See,” she said with a laugh, “You’ll never get that at Wawa.”
