A convenience store on West Coulter Avenue was supposed to have undergone a substantial remodel by now, but supply chain problems have delayed those plans.

The project will convert some former car wash bays at Pit Stop Travel Center #12 into indoor space, adding food service, a drive-thru window and a liquor department. Bailey Enterprises Inc., which operates the Pit Stop, hoped to start the project more than a year ago, in October 2021. However, owner Mike Bailey said the needed equipment — such as new coolers, lighting and heating and air conditioning — is “very backordered,” with items taking six to 12 months to be delivered. Meanwhile, contractors are booked up and labor is difficult to find.

“It’s just a challenge,” Bailey said last week, adding that, “Everything that used to take you a month to put together now takes three or four, it seems like.”

At its Nov. 21 meeting, the Powell City Council voted unanimously to allow Pit Stop #12 to keep its full retail liquor license in non-operational status for another year. The city receives a limited number of that type of license. Powell Mayor John Wetzel said the situation is “not unusual, given the times we’re in.”

In October, the city agreed to extend Albertsons’ non-operational liquor license, too, as supply chain issues have similarly delayed the opening of the grocer’s new Powell store. Albertsons has not yet announced when it will open its doors, while Bailey said he’s hoping to get the Pit Stop #12 remodel underway this coming fall.

“We’re very much looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s just taking a while.”

Located between Subway and Verizon, Pit Stop #12 currently features a gas station and convenience store.

The Pit Stop Travel Center #11 — located on East Coulter Avenue near the Travelodge — already includes a liquor department.