The new Par Mar convenience store and Arby's restaurant, at 306 MacCorkle Ave., SE, is shown on Monday, June 23, 2025.
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | Gazette-Mail
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported a different projected opening date, which was changed by Par Mar officials at noon on Wednesday.
A new Par Mar store is projected to open Monday along MacCorkle Avenue in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, on the south side of the Kanawha River just west of the South Side Bridge. Construction began in October 2024, and the store will be the Marietta, Ohio-based company’s fourth location in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
The site, once home to a General Electric facility, had displayed “coming soon†signs for nearly three years. The site selection was strategic: the south side of the river had limited access to fuel, and the location benefits from high traffic flow from both sides of the river, downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä and Kanawha City. Until now, there were no gas/convenience stores on MacCorkle Avenue for a 6-mile stretch between Montrose Drive in South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä and 39th Street in Kanawha City.
It also will feature a full kitchen and made-to-order menu with breakfast items, pizzas and subs. Patrons will find other items that Store Manager Micayla Ennis hasn't seen at any other Par Mar stores.
“It definitely has one of the biggest kitchens for a Par Mar in the area,†Ennis said Tuesday. “It has a coffee Frazil machine and a bean-to-cup machine — those are all things that are not in most Par Mars.â€
Coffee Frazil is a type of iced-slushie coffee dispensed from a machine.
An Arby’s restaurant is also accessible from the Par Mar, but an opening date hasn't been confirmed. Last week, open interviews were held for Arby’s positions.
According to Ennis, the Par Mar is nearly fully staffed and plans to operate with at least three employees per shift. The goal is 15 staff members in total: six full-time and nine part-time. According to its Facebook post, Arby’s aims to hire up to 50 employees, but it's unclear how many positions have been filled so far.
Construction was led by ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä-based Jarrett Construction, with final work on the building wrapping up last week and final touches on the outside finishing Wednesday, despite an ongoing heat wave. The 6,500-square-foot store sits on a 1â…“-acre site. Hundreds of workers contributed throughout the process, according to Jarrett officials.
About Par Mar
The company began in 1967 as Par Mar Oil Co., reselling petroleum products from refineries. It was founded by Parkersburg native Joseph Grow and James Hollister of Marietta, Ohio. “Par Mar†reflects the company’s roots, “Par†stands for Parkersburg and “Mar†for Marietta.
The company opened its first convenience store in 1979 in Ohio.ÌýToday, Par Mar employs more than 2,600 people and operates more than 200 convenience store locations across six states — Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland.
