Joe, Ally and Patty Ebnet were among the customers checking out the new Kwik Trip location in Marshall on Thursday morning. Area residents were up bright and early for the store’s first day of business – the doors opened at 5 a.m., and there were already plenty of people getting coffee, groceries and snacks.

MARSHALL — You didn’t have to get up early to check out the new Kwik Trip location in Marshall on its first day of operation. But plenty of area residents did just that.

The new Kwik Trip on East College Drive opened its doors at 5 a.m. Thursday. Right away, there was a steady stream of customers browsing the store, picking up groceries or coffee, or fueling up their cars.

“It’s just super convenient,” said Melanie Dwire. Dwire said she had stopped in to get milk for her family, because Kwik Trip was open earlier than other grocery stores in Marshall. “It’s going to be really nice to have,” she said of the store.

Area residents have watched the development of the new gas station and store over the past two years. In 2022, Kwik Trip confirmed it had purchased the former Speedway gas station property at the corner of East College and Bruce Street, with plans to build a 10,000 square-foot store. Demolition of the old building started last summer, after Domino’s Pizza moved from the former Speedway location to a new commercial building on East College Drive.

On Thursday, customers got their first look inside Kwik Trip. The store shelves and refrigerator cases included everything from snacks and drinks to baked goods, groceries and prepared foods. Breakfast sandwiches, coffee and doughnuts were all popular choices for people browsing Thursday morning.

A group of Southwest Minnesota State University students were among the people who visited Kwik Trip early in the morning. Students like Jill Remmele and Stephen Zimmer picked up boxes of doughnuts to bring back to campus and share.

“I always liked going to Kwik Trip,” Zimmer said. It seemed like a fun idea to go to the Marshall store with friends, he said.

While some of the SMSU students either had a Kwik Trip in their hometown or had visited one before, others were checking it out for the first time. “I’ve never been to one,” said Margeaux Belanger.

Joe, Patty and Ally Ebnet of Cottonwood said they were on their way to Sioux Falls on Thursday, but decided to make a stop at the new Kwik Trip. “I like the convenience and variety,” Joe Ebnet said.

“It’s like a one-stop shop,” Patty Ebnet added.

Some customers, like Cortney and Jazz Zukauska, said they had been looking forward to the store’s opening.

“We love Kwik Trip,” Cortney Zukauska said. She said it would be good to have one in Marshall. Until now, the closest location was the Kwik Trip in Willmar.

Employees at the new store were also excited for opening day.

Jess Karlstad said it was good to see familiar faces coming in the doors Thursday morning. Karlstad was the manager of the former Cattoor station for 13 years. After the station closed, she said, “I transitioned to Kwik Trip.”

“It’s an awesome company to work for,” she said. And now, she was greeting some of her old customers from Cattoors.

A grand opening for the East College Drive Kwik Trip is planned on Feb. 21. An open house will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 1:30.

East College Drive isn’t going to be the only Kwik Trip in Marshall. Last year, the company also purchased the former Cattoor Oil station property on West Main Street. The former gas station building has been demolished, and four neighboring houses will also be moved or demolished to make way for development of a new Kwik Trip. Construction is planned to start this year.