A sign of Wawa drawing back on its Philadelphia presence took place Tuesday morning as crews took down the signage in front of the recently shuttered store along Market Street at 19th Street.
NBC10 cameras captured crews ripping off the light-up W's and A's from the façade of the Center City location before daybreak. You could hear crunching sounds as crews pried off the letters along a mostly quiet Market Street ahead of most downtown office buildings opening.
The 19th and Market Wawa location, along with the 12th and Market location, of the popular convenience store both closed Sunday, Wawa said.
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Earlier this month, Wawa cited safety concerns and security challenges as its reasoning for closing the two locations in the heart of the city.
"Despite reducing hours and investing in additional operational measures, continued safety and security
challenges and business factors have made it increasingly difficult to remain open in these two
locations," Wawa said.
After the announced closures, Mayor Jim Kenney blamed "social dysfunction" that has caused Wawa "some issues." But he said "I don't think it's a bad omen at all" for businesses in the city. The second-term Democrat cited Wawa's 23 remaining locations in the city (which includes locations at 17th and Arch streets and along Walnut Street near 10th Street) as a sign that the company remains committed to Philly.
Besides closures, Wawa has also drawn back operating hours, not only in Center City, but into other parts of Philadelphia.
Last month, Wawa closed some of its city stores early when groups of young people ransacked stores in the area. On Sept. 24, a Wawa in Northeast Philadelphia was ransacked by hundreds of people. Video of the chaos and destruction went viral.
In the company statement, Wawa said "these closures do not diminish in anyway our on-going commitment to serve the Philadelphia community or our acknowledgment of the effort and support we continue to receive from local police."
The company statement also noted that Wawa's "commitment and ongoing investments in Philadelphia continue to grow and expand."
The Wawa statement came days after a Philadelphia Business Journal report about City Councilman Mike Driscoll telling business leaders at a public forum in Northeast Philadelphia that Wawa officials were considering halting new store openings in Philadelphia amid rising crime and lawlessness in the city.
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