One of Busiest, Oldest Johnson Avenue Businesses to See $5.1M Makeover, Temporarily Cease Operations
By Jeff Toquinto on September 22, 2026
One of Johnson Avenue’s longest standing businesses and most heavily used is about to see major work to the tune of millions of dollars that will shut it down.
During the most recent meeting of the Bridgeport Development Authority, Community Development Director Andrea Kerr announced that 
Sheetz had filed a permit to redo the store on Johnson Avenue. The permit was $5.1 million.
Sheetz had filed a permit to redo the store on Johnson Avenue. The permit was $5.1 million.
Heading into this week, Kerr was not sure if the project in question was a total demolition of the building or gutting of the interior. Because of that, she also was not 100 percent certain if it would be closed during the project. She said there was a question that came up after reviewing the plans that led her to contact corporate offices.
“Their plans showed that their exterior wall is to remain, but they gave us foundation under-slab plumbing plans,” Kerr told the BDA last week. “It seems odd to me that they would keep an existing wall and do footers and foundations.”
On Monday morning, Kerr said corporate answered her concerns. She said the plan is to leave the exterior walls. The only remaining
question was whether they were going to try to do a phased gutting of the interior and find a way to leave the store open. In the afternoon, she was told the store would be closed, but no timeline was given for that, when the work would start, or an anticipated completion date.
question was whether they were going to try to do a phased gutting of the interior and find a way to leave the store open. In the afternoon, she was told the store would be closed, but no timeline was given for that, when the work would start, or an anticipated completion date.
“We anticipate that this will start before the end of the year,” said Kerr.
Kerr added that the gas canopies will be redone. She also said work on the gas tanks is also included.
Convenience Architecture and Design, of Claysburg, Pa., is the architect on record for the project.
Editor's Note: Community Development Director Andrea Kerr looks over plans from Sheetz, while bottom photo shows its current Johnson Avenue location.
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