VALDOSTA — A new convenience store/restaurant is planned for a West Hill Avenue property, according to company officials.

Property at 2112 1/2 W. Hill Ave. was recently sold and a Sun Stop will be developed there. The store is scheduled to open in 2017, according to a South West Georgia Oil Company representative.

Sun Stop is a convenience store that uses Inland gasoline. Both Sun Stop and Inland are owned by South West Georgia Oil Company.

While the company owns the land, there are several licenses required and work on the structure completed before the store can open, CFO Glennie Bench said.

The structure is a former store with gas-pump stations.

The company will not build onto the existing structure, but is in the process of evaluating the condition of the building and plans to fix any issues, she said.

“I know there is roof work that has to be done,” Bench said.

Sun Stop will have a restaurant attached to the convenience store.

South West Georgia Oil Company has a restaurant chain called Quick Serve and is a chicken deli, but rather than using its restaurant, the company is considering franchise options, Bench said.

The restaurant is not just aimed at travelers who are looking for a quick bite to eat, but will be for travelers and residents in the area who want to sit down and eat, she said.

In the convenience store, Bench expects there to be donuts, an expanded coffee section and smoothies available for purchase. 

The nearest Sun Stop is in Jasper, Fla., and has only been open since April, Bench said.

Sun Stop does not plan to be just another gas station on Interstate 75, she said.

“We are not interested in being the one-time stop on I-75,” she said. “We want to have reoccurring customers and for people to seek us out.”

South West Georgia Oil Company plans to create repeat business by having good service, good food and clean bathrooms, Bench said.

“That is what we have built our company on and that is what we are looking to do in Valdosta,” she said.

The property was sold to South West Georgia Oil Company for $1,475,000 by the Bank of Bartlett in Bartlett, Tenn.

South West Georgia Oil Company is a family-operated business with 76 convenience stores in West Georgia and north Florida. It is based out of Bainbridge.

The Sun Stop is expected to open as early as possible in 2017.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1256.