Customers will be banking on site of Wawa #1 store
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » The wait is over for local residents who wondered what was going to become of the former Wawa #1 at 1212 MacDade Blvd. in Folsom. Construction is underway for a brand new Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union branch at the site, set to open in early 2018. The new branch will consolidate two of the financial institution’s busiest branches which are currently located in the Holmes and Folsom sections of the township.
The former Wawa #1 became the center of attention in June 2016 when a larger super Wawa with fuel services opened in the township, a third of a mile up MacDade Boulevard at Kedron Avenue. Wawa #1 officially closed its doors at 8 a.m. on June 17, 2016, at the exact time that the doors of the new larger Wawa down the street opened to the public. A parade went down MacDade Boulevard from the original store to the new one, signifying the end of Wawa #1. Wawa associates led by a band and Wawa’s 1918 vintage antique milk truck and local mascots ceremoniously closed the original store that was opened in 1964 by Grahame Wood and remained in operation until that closing day.
Wawa comforted customers who were disappointed by Wawa’s decision to close its very first store by including a number of historical tributes to the original Wawa inside of the new store, including a photo timeline, and a digital tribute looking back at significant Wawa events. Outside of the new store, Wawa placed a selfie station/marker made of a replica of the original Store #1 pole sign where customers can take a selfie to show their connection to the original Wawa. Store #1 remained vacated, empty and still, even after FMFCU purchased the site, until earlier this summer when equipment arrived and construction got underway for the financial institution’s newest branch.
Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union has provided financial products and services to its members in the greater Philadelphia region and beyond since 1970. Now with $1 billion in assets, FMFCU ranks tenth in asset size in Pennsylvania and is the largest financial institution headquartered in Delaware County. This summer the credit union moved its Delaware County headquarters from its longtime home in Broomall to Chadds Ford. FMFCU has 80,000 members, 2,000 partnering organizations, and 40 branches.
The new FMFCU building, to be about 4,500 square feet in size, will boast a more spacious lobby and a bigger, better parking lot than the Holmes and Folsom locations currently possess.
According to Mike Mastrangelo, FMFCU vice president and chief retail officer, the new location will not only offer staff a better quality work life and more room to move around, but it will also offer the customers a more modern, more pleasing way to do business.
“We think our staff and our customers will like the more open concept and modern design of the new building,” Mastrangelo said. “The new look encourages engagement with the community and that’s really what we are all about.”
According to Mastrangelo, no employees lost their jobs as a result of the consolidation of the two current FMFCU branches on MacDade Boulevard into one larger branch at the 1212 location. Both smaller branches do about 14,000 transactions per month and the larger branch, with its full staff, easier access and latest technology, will soon be able to better serve FMFCU customers.
“There will be so many positives coming out of our move to this new location,” Mastrangelo stated. “Both our staff and our customers will benefit. Also, FMFCU is heavily involved in financial literacy. The move will help us be closer to many of those whom we serve.”
Additionally, Mastrangelo said that FMFCU will definitely honor the 52-year-old history of the Wawa #1 site, although he wasn’t sure, at this stage, how or what it will actually do.
“We certainly recognize the emotional connection that people have to the site of the original #1 Wawa store,” Mastrangelo remarked. “We want to honor the site’s history by keeping its memory alive. We may display some old photos or a plaque. We are still working out the details, but we surely plan on commemorating the very first Wawa convenience store in some way. We know how important that history is to our customers and we are always here to please them.”
For more information on Franklin Mint Credit Union, visit fmfcu.org.