Stuckey's

Stuckey's is a roadside convenience store chain found on highways throughout the United States. Stores are concentrated in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest, although operations have existed as far east as Connecticut, and as far west as Oregon. Stuckey's Corporation has its headquarters in Eastman, Georgia.[1]

Stuckey's
Private
IndustryRestaurants
Founded1937
HeadquartersEastman, Georgia, US
Key people
W. S. Stuckey Sr.
W. S. Stuckey Jr.
ProductsCandy, novelties, food, fuel
Websitestuckeys.com

History

Early days

Stuckey's originated in the early 1930s in Eastman, Georgia. When founder W. S. Stuckey Sr., had a successful pecan harvest from his family's orchard he decided to offer a portion of the crop for sale in a lean-to roadside shed.[2] Many Florida-bound tourists traveling U.S. Route 23 stopped to purchase the pecans.

Stuckey's advertisement from 1976 Rand McNally Road Atlas

As the roadside business continued to expand, Stuckey's wife, Ethel, created a variety of homemade pecan candies to sell at the stand, including pecan log rolls and pecan divinity.[2] In 1937, Stuckey constructed his first store building. Much like the former roadside lean-to, the new business focused on selling these Southern candies to highway travelers.

This first Stuckey's shop added a restaurant, then a novelty section, and then gas pumps. The final addition was a teal blue roof (which would later become the company's trademark). Until the onset of World War II, Stuckey's continued to open stores in Georgia and Florida. The number of stores declined somewhat during the war due to sugar rationing.[2]

After the war ended, Stuckey's business once again began to grow and sold a number of new franchises. The company constructed a candy factory to supply an eventual 350-plus Stuckey's stores located throughout the continental US. As the post-war baby boom flourished and families undertook more long-distance auto travel, Stuckey's continued to grow as they were usually constructed along major highways and frequently were paired with Texaco gas stations, as well as restaurants and restrooms.[3]

Downfall, then rise
A modern Stuckey's/BP in Yeehaw Junction, Florida

In 1960, W. S. Stuckey attempted to create a hotel chain called Stuckey's Carriage Inn, but opened only four locations. In 1964, Stuckey's merged with Pet, Inc., maker of Pet Milk.[4]

The company at its peak had over 350 locations, which dwindled to fewer than 75 after a decline in the late 1970s under ownership by Pet.[2] It was repurchased by former Congressman W. S. Stuckey Jr., in 1985. Stuckey's candy plant was sold to Nashville-based Standard Candy Co.[5] As of May 2015, Stuckey's has over 115 franchise stores in 17 states.[3] In November, 2019, Ethel "Stephanie" Stuckey, grand-daughter of the chain's founders, was named CEO.[6]

An abandoned Stuckey's restaurant and gas station along the freeway in 2004.

See also

References
  1. "Contact Stuckey's". Stuckey's. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  2. Burginger, Lyndsay (2019-04-26). "Where Did All of the Stuckey's Roadside Stores Go?". Wide Open Eats. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  3. "Detailed Stuckey's History". Stuckey's. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  4. "Pet Milk Plans Big Expansion; Buys Stuckey's, Franchise Concern, for $12 Million". The New York Times. September 2, 1964. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  5. "Family Hopes To Revive Chain of Roadside Stores". Associated Press. May 16, 1985. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  6. https://www.cspdailynews.com/company-news/stuckeys-names-president-ceo
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