Stripes Convenience Stores opened its second location in Port Arthur this week to much fanfare, complete with a ribbon cutting, check presentation and free lunch for all.

Officially the new store at the corner of Jimmy Johnson Boulevard and Ninth Avenue opened on Tuesday with a grand opening celebration Friday.

“We are really excited being here in Port Arthur,” Ken Rowland, Stripe’s Regional director of Operations from the Houston Region, said.

The latest Stripes makes the 750^th location in Texas. In December, Stripes opened its first Port Arthur store at the intersection of FM 365 and Professional Drive.

The newest Stripes store added more than 30 new jobs to the Port Arthur area.

Stripes features Laredo Taco Company, an authentic Mexican food restaurant inside the store, and 20 Sunoco Branded Fuel.

Friday’s ribbon cutting included a $1,000 donation payable to Lamar State College Port Arthur with a special appearance by the Lamar State College – Port Arthur Seahawk mascot.

Lamar will use the donation for college scholarships, Scott Street, athletic director at Lamar State College-Port Arthur, said.

“Whenever we open a new store, we give back to the community, either to children’s health, or to education,” Piper Scott, public relations associate with Stripes, said.

Laredo’s features a dining area which seats up to 30 people. There is also a “beer super cooler”, and “the wall” with more than 1.2 billion possible fountain drink combinations.

Stripes first store was in Corpus Christi. The company has plans to open about 30 more stores in the Houston area, and has plans to move into the Louisiana market.

“Next year we will have an additional 1,000 jobs right here in Texas,” Rowland said.

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