The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

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November 22, 2009

New Sharon convenience store is The Hot Spot

Reopens at site of former Sheetz

By Courtney L. Anderson and Patrick Cooley

SHARON — Alexandra Lennon and Ashley Showalter, two Sharon teenagers, used to walk to the Sheetz convenience store and gas station all the time when it was open to pick up snacks and other sundries.

When it closed in May 2006 they no longer had a place they could make it to on foot.

But last week, The Hot Spot opened on the hill of the east side of Sharon, where the Sheetz store used to be, after a lengthy development process.

Since Sheetz closed, the neighborhood around the intersection of State Street, Oakland Avenue and Silver Street had been without a place to pick up snacks, cigarettes and necessities.

Alexandria and Ashley walked there for the first time on Sunday to get a quick bite to eat.

“It’s pretty cool,” Alexandria said, adding that it’s nice to have a place within walking distance of where she lives.

Bill Dungee and his mother, Diane Dungee of Farrell, both drove to the station on Sunday.

They said it was a nice play to stop and get gas, because there really isn’t any other place between Farrell and Hermitage to stop.

“This is the first time I’ve been back (since it re-opened),” Bill Dungee said.

“I never understood why the Sheetz closed in the first place,” Mrs. Dungee said.

The Hot Spot, she said, is the perfect name for the convenience store, because she said it is located at “the perfect spot.”

Co-owner Derrick Lee said he’s hired 18 employees to work at the store, which for now is open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

If everything works out, Lee said they plan to have a grand opening celebration in about three weeks. At that point they plan to offer more food items, including sandwiches, burgers and fries to order, he said.

The goal is to have the business open 24 hours a day, Lee said. Right now, there’s nothing in the city open around the clock.

Lee said the store has had a fairly steady stream of customers but he was kind of hoping they’d be “slammed.”

Lee said he’s already seen some faces more than once and hopes to build a regular clientele.

Lee’s partner in the business is Prasad Bandhu.

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