Par Mar convenience sets opening date in East Deer

After a nearly three-year hiatus, a convenience store/gas station is returning to East Deer.

A Par Mar convenience store will take over where Sheetz once was, at 899 Freeport Road and the Crawford Run Road intersection, in the township’s Creighton neighborhood.

The store plans to open at 6 a.m. Friday, said Brian Waugh, president of Par Mar Stores. It will be a 24-hour store, he said.

“We had people in East Deer that wanted a convenience store back open there,” he said.

Sheetz operated at that location for more than 34 years and closed Oct. 1, 2020. Sheetz officials said at the time of the closure that the location wasn’t meeting company expectations and couldn’t be expanded to offer amenities that newer store locations provided.

The East Deer store will serve hot food, convenience store-style snacks and drinks, frozen items and beer, Waugh said.

“We’re big on variety. We offer a lot of different brands and variety,” he said. “One of the things that will separate us out from the gate is the different variety people will see.”

Nearby, Marietta, Ohio-based Par Mar has stores in Brackenridge and Fawn. Overall, Par Mar has 221 stores in five states — Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Maryland — said David Allen, the company’s director of community relations.

The company was founded in 1967, with “Par” standing for Parkersburg, W.Va., and “Mar” for Marietta.

Allen said Par Mar will be involved in the local community.

“We’re excited to be here. We want to be a part of the community,” he said. “We’re excited to be opening up this Friday.”

The East Deer store will be a Sunoco gas station and have eight gas pumps, Waugh said.

“We look forward to servicing the people of East Deer,” he said.