HADLEY — For much of the past decade, the prominent triangular-shaped property at the western gateway to Hadley, bounded by Route 9, Bay Road and Old Bay Road, sat idle, with aging buildings deteriorating before they and overgrown vegetation were removed.
After more than a year of construction that began in 2017, a new Pride gas station and an accompanying 7,400-square-foot convenience store, which also features a Subway sandwich counter and a deli and bakery, recently opened, becoming one of the first businesses that greets travelers and commuters heading east over the Coolidge Bridge.
Pride Convenience Inc. founder Robert Bolduc said he believes the site will become a popular destination, with the 42 parking spaces able to handle a number of patrons inside and a drive-through window for those on the go.
Inside the store there is a self-serve coffee bar and a cafe with baristas making espressos, shakes and smoothies, a counter with doughnuts, cookies and brownies made fresh daily, a deli with meats, cheeses and Chester’s Chicken, and a Subway. Seating is available for 40 people.
“It’s like a restaurant, and there’s free Wi-Fi,” Bolduc said.
A wide array of beer and wine is sold for off-site consumption. “This is not your gas station with just six-packs of Budweiser,” Bolduc said.
At the rear of the store are a dozen Tesla superchargers, free for use by those with Tesla vehicles.
For conventional gas, six double-sided pumps accept credit and debit cards, along with a place to insert cash.
“It’s like an ATM for gas,” Bolduc said. “People who are in a hurry love that.”
With gas prices already falling, Pride this week had its most visible price for unleaded regular marked at $2.05, though that deal is only for those with a Pride Savings debit card, Bolduc said. For other customers, the price is $2.15, identical to what other stations between the bridge and Hadley center, including Big Y Express, Cumberland Farms and Phillips 66, are charging.
Throughout 2008, Pride Limited Partnership spent in excess of $3 million to buy the land and buildings at 25-29 Russell St., including the former Aqua Vitae restaurant and motel, and the vacant homes at 15 and 19 Russell St.
Bolduc said there is nothing unusual in the time it has taken to move from a concept to construction to opening. “We simply had other projects to do ,” Bolduc said.
When the land was on the market, his company didn’t want to let an opportunity to acquire the parcels pass by. “You have to buy property when it’s available,” Bolduc said.
And even though his company faced criticism from town officials on multiple occasions, including allowing the previous buildings to become magnets for the homeless, clearing trees in violation of wetlands rules and failing to help fire officials at the scene of a vehicle fire at its other gas station nearer the Amherst town line, at 445 Russell St., Bolduc said the project went smoothly.
“We’re happy to be there and it was a pleasure working with the town,” Bolduc said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
