Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Construction is continuing on the Kopp Drug expansion at the corner of Logan and 14th Street in Tyrone as workers contend with the summer heat wave that Mother Nature is dealing out.
Since early 2005, the project has been in various stages including the demolition of the old Sheetz Store in January of last year. The new Kopp Drug will face West 14th Street and be several times larger that the old store. The site will also have expanded parking.
Last year, Peter Kreckel of Kopp Drug told The Daily Herald that plans for the new building have been in the works for several years ever since Sheetz moved to a new location at 1400 Logan Avenue in 2000. Kreckel said since the old Sheetz had remained empty. A lease Sheetz had with the owner of the building expired and eventually Kopp Drug was able to negotiate the purchase of the property from the former owner.
Late last year, Kopp Drug opened a temporary location at 1021 Pennsylvania Avenue (the old Connie’s Variety location) to get ready for the closing of the Logan Avenue location.
The old Logan Avenue building closed in May, according to Kreckel. He said that building and two other properties including a house and Wilson’s Barber Shop have also been demolished in addition to the old Sheetz to make way for the new store.
Kreckel said when the site is ready, Wilson’s Barber Shop will operate independently in the new building. He said currently the shop has temporarily moved to the upper end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Kreckel told The Daily Herald this morning the target date for Kopp Drug to receive the keys to the building is Oct. 16. He said it would take about three weeks to load merchandise and ready the store. He said he expected the new store to be open for business by Thanksgiving.
He noted he and his wife Denise will celebrate 25 years at Kopp Drug in Tyrone in late November and the expectation is the grand opening of the new store and the anniversary will coincide. Kreckel said Kopp Drug began operations in Tyrone in November of 1981.
In a Herald article late last year, Kopp Drug president Morley Cohn said the new Tyrone store will be a free standing 10,000-square-foot store with a drive-in.
“It will be very similar to a store we built in Altoona on Valley View Boulevard and 7th Street,” said Cohn.
The ‘closeout” store on Pennsylvania Avenue will continue to operate even after the new store opens. Last year, Cohn said the lease there runs through Christmas of this year and the possibility exists the company may decide to renew the lease.
Kreckel said Kopp Drug has found the Pennsylvania Avenue location to be “viable” although he said there were some concerns over residents tying up parking spaces that would otherwise be available for customers.
“If the downtown is going to be viable the borough needs to enforce existing parking ordinances,” said Kreckel.
He also reiterated Cohn’s comments regarding the possibility the “close-out” store could continue to operate on Pennsylvania Avenue beyond 2006.
As for the new store on Logan Avenue, Cohn said, “ We are going to feature a nice card and gift department.”
He said the store at Pleasant Valley has one-third of the floor space dedicated to cards and gifts. Plans call for a similar design at the new Tyrone location.

By Rick