WEST LEBANON — New York-based convenience store chain Stewart’s Shops has plans to tear down the existing gas station on North Main Street and erect an expanded building in its place.
The new 4,500-square-foot structure would be about 50% larger than the current building, Robin Cooper, a Stewart’s spokesperson, said in a Monday phone interview.
The additional square footage is needed to accommodate an ice cream and food counter as well as Stewart’s line of groceries, Cooper said.
In order to make space for the expanded store, the company plans to build on a property that sits behind the 97 North Main St. gas station.
Located at 99 North Main St. the .33-acre property belongs to EB II Realty LLC, which is based out of West Lebanon.
“Our hope is to get the project started and completed in 2027,” Cooper said. The proposal is slated for Planning Board review this month or next.
New stores typically take 10 to 12 weeks to construct, he said. The project would include demolishing the gas station and the 6,400-square-foot house that sits on the 99 North Main St. property, Cooper said.
At this point it’s unclear how much the project will cost, but most Stewart’s construction jobs usually cost between $2 and $3 million, Cooper said.
Stewart’s Shops purchased the 97 North Main St. property for $1.7 million in 2024, according to city property records.
The company also purchased another gas station convenience store on Lebanon Street in Hanover the same year.
The sales were part of a large-scale acquisition of 45 gas station stores owned by tri-state convenience store chain Jolley Associates, which was formerly based out of St Albans, Vt.
At the moment there are no construction plans for the Lebanon Street Stewart’s, Cooper said.
JENNIFER HAUCK / Valley News
The acquisition of the West Lebanon location eventually led to the closure of Oriental Wok Express, a longtime Chinese takeaway restaurant inside the convenience store, after representatives from Stewart’s informed the owners that they would not be renewing their lease.
“We don’t have outside operators in the majority of our properties,” Cooper told the Valley News in January.
Oriental Wok closed earlier this year, after 20 years in business.
Stewart’s began as a joint venture between brothers Percy and Charles Dake who purchased a small ice cream production facility in Ballston Spa, N.Y., in 1945.
More than 80 years later, the company now operates roughly 400 locations across New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
Stewart’s and EB II Realty LLC plan to present their project for site plan review at the June 8 Planning Board meeting, Cooper said. They’ve submitted an application to the city, but have a few additional pieces of paperwork to finalize, he said. If the application isn’t ready in time, they’ll present the project for approval at the July meeting.
