Giant gas station plans to open its first Kansas City area location, with more to come

You’ve maybe heard of Buc-ee’s, the Texas retailer known for its massive convenience stores.

Newer to the giant-gas-station game is Wally’s, which in the past three years has broken ground on three very large Midwestern stores, each of them in excess of 30,000 square feet.

The St. Louis-based retailer just announced it will soon open a fourth — in Independence.

“Wally’s has closed on our first location in Independence, and is in discussion on other locations in the Kansas City metro,” CEO Michael Rubenstein said in a release. “If all goes according to plan, we would be shovels in the ground in summer of 2024.”

The Independence site is a former Kmart just off the intersection of Interstate 70 and Noland Road. At 50,000 square feet, it will be Wally’s largest travel center yet. (The largest Buc-ee’s is 74,000 square feet, in case you were wondering.)

The location will feature 80 gas pumps, 20 electric vehicle fueling stations, gourmet coffee, a popcorn station, a bakery, a beef jerky bar and a sandwich shop.

“We still have work to do with the city of Independence to clean up some of the challenges that exist at this spot, but we have been extremely appreciative of the city’s continued support and fully expect that we will be able to finalize all of the developmental items,” Rubenstein said.

Wally’s, which calls itself the “Home of the Great American Road Trip,” was founded in 2020 by Rubenstein and his cousin Chad Wallis, both of whom were raised in rural Missouri. Its other locations are in Pontiac, Illinois, and Fenton, Missouri, with another under construction in Whitestown, Indiana.