Even if you blink, you can't miss Buc-ee's.
With its signature beaver sign towering overhead, the sprawling travel stop mecca has 64 gas pumps out front, ready for the first customers to pull in when the store opens for business May 7, just ahead of the busy summer travel season.
"It's so much more than a pit stop," said Buc-ee's employee Andy McAdams. "It's an experience. A lot of people know you can stop on the highway and get gas, get food, but we offer so much more."
More is Buc-ee's mantra.
Inside its 67,000 square feet of Beaver culture.
In addition to the expected snacks and drinks, the store offers smokin' hot beef brisket, more jerky than you can shake a stick at, 16 Icee fountains and 24 flavors of fudge.
And, of course, the iconic Beaver Nuggets.
One of the biggest draws is the restrooms, which the business advertises are always clean. The ladies room alone has 38 stalls.
The biggest Buc-ee's to date is expected to lure more than 5,000 cars off the highway to its cash registers every day. It's business the town is happy to see.
"It will add up to tourist dollars here, I think," said resident Rita Farley. "This is a tourist town. They will thrive on it."
That is the hope.
The beaver boom is estimated to generate $800,000 in sales tax revenue for the area over the next decade, according to the Chamber of Commerce.
The store also sells gear for river visitors, T-shirts galore and Texas-style gifts ranging from aromatic candles to purses with plenty of bling to cow hides.
So far the business is generating jobs.
"We're looking at 250 people altogether when we're fully staffed," said Christina Butler, in charge of the gift products for Buc-ee's. A few dozen positions still need to be filled.
Employees were busy as beavers Monday cleaning windows, cutting brisket, making fudge and even polishing the bronze beaver statue that welcomes guests.
