Buc-ee’s opening of new North Texas store will likely be part of once-in-lifetime event
It won’t be long before the newest Buc-ee’s in Texas welcomes its first customers along I-35 south of Fort Worth, and its grand opening will likely be part of a once-in-a-lifetime historic event.
Construction appears to be nearing completion on the 74,000-square-foot travel center along Interstate 35 in Hillsboro, about halfway between Fort Worth and Waco. Last weekend, a crane raised a giant Buc-ee’s sign high above the highway with the famous Beaver logo.
A spokeswoman for the company said no definitive opening date has been set.
But city officials say Buc-ee’s is intending to open in late March or the first of April — a date that would align with the stars, literally.
The rare total eclipse of the sun is April 8, and Hillsboro is one of the closest Texas cities to the path of totality. The solar eclipse is expected to draw tens of thousands of people (if not more) to Hillsboro and the rural areas surrounding the city, where numerous camp sites, make-shift RV parks and viewing stations are being planned.
If you think that Buc-ee’s can be busy on an ordinary Monday, imagine what the Hillsboro store will be like if Buc-ee’s capitalizes on eclipse fever — Beaver-themed viewing glasses, anyone?
Two solar eclipses in a row are extremely rare — the partial solar eclipse in North Texas last October, followed by this total eclipse just six months later. Seeing two eclipses in the same place usually happens only once in hundreds of years.
Buc-ee’s has already begun hiring for the new Hillsboro store, which was expected to create at least 200 jobs.
The store will be one of the largest Buc-ee’s, which continues to expand with new locations as well as adding massive car washes to existing stores including plans for a car wash at Fort Worth’s Buc-ee’s.
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The privately owned company, based in suburban Houston, for many years built its travel centers only along Texas highways. But lately, the Beaver has been on a building spree with new locations across the U.S.
There are Buc-ee’s stores coming to northern Colorado, the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, upstate South Carolina, central Ohio and even Wisconsin. Buc-ee’s has 47 travel centers now, including in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Experts say Buc-ee’s has what it takes to succeed beyond the borders of Texas, as customers consider a visit to a store to be more of an experience rather than a simple pit stop.
