Beer and malt beverages will be sold at Sheetz in McKean County, but which one of the two existing and one planned stores will it be for?

On Friday, Sheetz spokesman Nick Ruffner confirmed that Sheetz purchased a liquor license in McKean County, which could be used at the Foster Brook, Port Allegany or the planned Lantz Corners/Kane store locations.

“That marks the beginning of an evaluation process of McKean County stores to see which store in that area will be best for beer sales,” he said.

The Foster Township location on the corner of East Main Street and Bolivar Drive opened in November.

Rumors about a Sheetz in the Bradford area swirled around for years until 2014, when a company official reported plans to build a store on the Bradford Mall property at the former Beer Barn location. Construction of the store began in the spring of 2016 and wrapped up late last year.

The 24-hour, 6,500-square-foot store is frequently busy as customers go there for gasoline, made-to-order items and more. The Sheetz has a full-service drive-thru, inside and outside dining and several fueling stations with regular and premium gasoline and diesel.

The Port Allegany store opened several years ago on North Main Street, replacing a smaller Sheetz located down the street.

And now, officials are planning to open a Sheetz during the summer of 2018 in the Lantz Corners and Kane area, he said. As far as the construction of a new store, he could not provide any further details.

“That store would be part of the evaluation of McKean County and where would be best to place the liquor license,” Ruffner said.

Sheetz began selling beer permanently in Altoona in 2007. Now the company has eight locations that sell beer in Pennsylvania, the closest to this region being in Falls Creek, Jefferson County.

Ruffner could not provide anymore information regarding possible beer and malt beverage sales in McKean County.

The convenience store also has a presence across the region in Emporium, St. Marys, Ridgway, Coudersport and Warren.