Wawa Expands: Why the Iconic Convenience Store is Taking on North Jersey

Northward Bound: Wawa Infiltrates Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex Counties—But Is It Replacing Your Favorite Local Landmarks?

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Wayne NJ, the Wawa Wave: From South Jersey Staple to Northern Powerhouse. For decades, the convenience store landscape in New Jersey was clearly segmented: Wawa dominated the south, while chains like QuickChek reigned supreme up north. That division is rapidly dissolving.

Wawa is aggressively expanding its footprint, steadily pushing north and leveraging available space to open new locations. The chain now boasts 296 locations across the state, with its northernmost outposts currently nestled in Sussex County.

This expansion is about more than just finding empty land; it often involves the acquisition of high-traffic sites, leading to the necessary, though sometimes controversial, displacement of beloved local institutions.

Landmark Losses: The Notable Sites Wawa Replaced

Wawa’s journey north has left a trail of demolished local landmarks, replacing decades of history with sleek new convenience hubs.

New Wawa Location	Former Business	Years of History	Significance
Mountain Lakes (Route 46)	Zeris Inn	Nearly 50 years	Hosted over 6,000 weddings, fundraisers, and charity events before its demolition in May 2022.
Frankford (Sussex County)	Chatterbox Drive-In	15 years (post-1950s/60s revival)	Unique 1950s Americana-themed restaurant, known for classic food and community nostalgia.
Wayne (Route 23) & Randolph (Route 10)	Nagel’s Candy Barn	Closed in 2015	Wawa replaced the same beloved local business at two distinct locations within five years.
Belleville (Franklin Ave)	Roche Diagnostic Facility	Over 200 years (site history)	Former site of a copper rolling mill dating back to 1814, later housing the Andrew Jergens Co.

The Next Frontier: Hawthorne’s Paul’s Motors

The next notable location slated for the Wawa transformation is in Hawthorne. While not yet finalized, a commercial developer has acquired the property that housed Paul’s Motors, a 105-year-old family-owned dealership on Goffle Road. The developer plans to clear the land for the new convenience store construction.

This prospective opening shows Wawa’s commitment to infiltrating the heart of Passaic County and capitalizing on prime commercial real estate, even if it means retiring century-old local enterprises.

Why the North Jersey Expansion?

Wawa officials are clearly attracted to the available building space and high-traffic corridors in the northern counties. However, as demonstrated by the passionate turnout at the closure of the Zeris Inn and Chatterbox Drive-In, these new stores are often met with mixed feelings—excitement over the convenience and hoagie offerings, paired with melancholy over the loss of unique local flavor and history.

As Wawa continues its steady march across Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties, it confirms its status not just as a convenience chain, but as a major force reshaping New Jersey’s commercial and cultural landscape.

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