Does Carson's new store really go the Extramile?

The caped action figure, ExtraMan, made me realize how serious Chevron was about their new store design. Convenience stores are obviously convenient, but how do you design a store to be extra convenient? Can you believe a caped desperado munching corn dogs?

I visited Nevada’s first Chevron ExtraMile to see for myself. The Lepori team delivered the new store in mid-August at 1102 North Carson Street in Carson City. Here is what I found to be extra:

Inviting Signs

The upper perimeter of the store has stylish signs pulling you to food and beverage displays. Recharge the Day. The Beer Stop. One Mile Coffee. FIZZ. The store makes it even easier to find what you want with a second level of signage above the coolers that gets specific: Market, Frozen, Drinks. It’s extra easy to find what you need.

Cool Cabinets

 The company behind Carson City’s new store, Jacksons Food Stores, has more than 200 convenience stores throughout the West. The Idaho-based company excels at distribution. They are a wholesale distributor of groceries and a wholesale transportation firm delivering fuel to their Chevron, Shell, and Texaco branded convenience stores in six western states. They also care about cabinetry. They tell the cabinet makers at Frank Lepori Construction to make cabinets indestructible, easy to clean and user friendly. ExtraMile casework puts the lids, straws, napkins and trash exactly where you need them.

Fresh fruit

Before I joined the Lepori team, I was the mom who sat in the truck rolling her eyes when hubby and kiddos raced into a convenience store. Arms folded, I would imagined they were gorging on the worst kinds of food. They would return with grins and treasures, but I didn’t experience the fun of C-store shopping until I joined the Lepori team and learned about the Jacksons banana racks. You have to love a company who delivers fresh bananas to each of its store twice a week. They put bananas in the center of the store and at the cashier. They even give you a free banana when you buy a coffee. The ExtraMile new design features various new fresh food options, but my favorite is the chilled device that dispenses citrus garnishes in the FIZZ station. It’s swank.

The welcome

We believe in the power of good design at Lepori Construction. Our design project manager, Dominic Gonzales, coordinated the ExtraMile construction documents. He weighed in on the flow, function, durability and more. Dom, who looks a little like ExtraMan, gave the design a high score. But who knows until you open the doors? What I found at 1102 North Carson Street was a handsome exterior design that looked at peace with the nearby homes and married nicely with its traditional Chevron fueling canopy facing Carson City’s main drag. Inside, the staff had smiles and words of praise for the new store. I left with my coffee, corn dog and banana feeling extra welcome. It’s an extra win for Carson City.