Another old-school Wawa in New Jersey has closed for good

Yet another old-school Wawa in South Jersey has closed for good.

What is an "old-school" Wawa?

Now, when we say old-school, we mean those styles of stores that you and I grew up with. You know, Wawas that existed before they became Super Wawas. These older stores are tiny, they have that giant roof, some of them are/were in strip malls, and the parking lot is usually (almost always) awful.

Forget about taking a driver's test — if you could successfully get in, park, and leave one of those old Wawa lots, you deserved a medal.

In many cases, some of those older stores haven't been remodeled in quite some time, and they still feature the old block "Wawa" letters above the front door, as opposed to the newer, softer-looking logo.

Inside, those old Wawas have a great feel to them. They're where you usually bump into someone you grew up with, and they feel like a part of your hometown.

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Simply put, those older stores made Wawa what it is today. And, sadly, they are disappearing pretty quickly.

We documented one of those old-school closures back in the summer of 2023 when Wawa in Collings Lakes closed after an incredible 53-year run.

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Having grown up in the Collings Lakes area, I can say there really isn't much there. But there was a Wawa right on the busiest corner in town and it was where every single person in the community went. And one day it was there and the next it wasn't. Almost two years later, that store is still sitting there empty, having not been replaced by anything.

Old Wawa in Williamstown, NJ, closing

The news is slightly better just up the road in Williamstown where an old-style Wawa at Routes 322 and 555 has closed — but a spiffy new Super Wawa has opened up right across the street.

• READ MORE: Wawa fans — what is this brick thing where you order hoagies?

The store swap, which has been in the works since 2019, happened within the past few days, according to 42freeway.com.

Now, I'm old enough to remember that there used to be a small, family-owned produce stand on the corner where that old Wawa was, but regardless, that little Wawa had been there for quite some time. And now it's gone, too.

A heavily wooded lot right across the street was bulldozed to make room for the bigger Wawa, all in the name of progress.

And while change is good and this Wawa is much more efficient, not everyone is a fan of "bigger and better." Should you not be a fan of change, consider this...

Heritage's is just a half-mile away

If you head east on 322 for about two minutes and you can visit a terrific old Heritage's Daily Store.

While not quite as popular as Wawa, Heritage's stores have dotted parts of South Jersey for decades. If you enjoy the mom-and-pop feel of a mini-mart, you gotta check out Heritage's.