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SHELBY — It’s hard for travelers to miss the bold new red and black Mickey Mart building off of State Route 39 as they enter Shelby’s southeast corner.
A new Mickey Mart gas station, with a built-in Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, has been under construction since April 2024 at 191 State Route 39. Progress of the build has been highly visible due to the high volume of traffic along SR 39 and Mansfield Avenue.
On Friday, Kent Kick, vice president at Mickey’s Stores, said the new location could open in Shelby within the next two to three weeks, with the projection subject to change.
He said a possible opening date could happen during the second or third full week of April.
“That’s the gameplan,” Kick told Richland Source on Friday. “We’re super excited.”
Nearing the finish line
No specific opening date could be named at this time due to some remaining tasks at the site which impact when it will be ready for customers, including a few final inspections and some signage, Kick said.
It is currently unclear whether the gas station and built-in Dunkin’ Donuts will open simultaneously or on different dates.
Joe Gies, Shelby’s project coordinator, said he heard that Dunkin’ would open one month after the Mickey Mart from one of the workers on-site. But Gies said on Friday it had been a while since he last heard that and was unsure of the official plan.
Kick said as far as he knew, both the gas station and Dunkin’ will open at the same time.
Preview of what’s to come
A new Mickey Mart, including a built-in Dunkin’ franchise, recently opened in Norwalk last week, according to reporting from the Norwalk Reflector.
The new location in Norwalk is Jurassic-themed and will soon include dinosaur-themed visuals, among other items, the story says.
This same theme will be applied to the coming store in Shelby, but the murals at each location will be unique, “meaning the themes may be the same, but the experience will be different,” the Norwalk Reflector reports.
“We’re looking forward to it (new Mickey Mart and Dunkin’ Donuts) and I know a lot of people in town that have been looking forward to it,” Gies said last year.
Below is a video Mickey’s Stores shared on its Facebook page highlighting its new Norwalk location.
